Irina Zaritskaya (May 2, 1939July 30, 2001) was a Ukrainian pianist.

Early life and education

Zaritskaya started playing the piano at the Children's Music School in Kiev until 1953, and subsequently continued her studies at the Central Special Music School in

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

with Professor Tatiana Kestner. She graduated in 1958 and entered the

, where she was accepted into Yakov Zak's class and received lessons from Yakov Flier. She received her graduation diploma in 1963. While still a student under Yakov Zak, Zaritskaya won second prize at the 1960 VI International Chopin Piano Competition, coming less than 1 point behind the eventual winner -

Maurizio Pollini Maurizio Pollini (5 January 1942 – 23 March 2024) was an Italian pianist and conductor. He was known for performances of Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, and the Second Viennese School, among others. He championed works by contemporary composers ...

. She also won two additional awards - The Fryderyk Chopin Society Prize for the Best Performance of a Polonaise and The Polish Radio Prize for the Best Performance of a Mazurka.

Career

For many years, Zaritskaya only performed within the Soviet Union, appearing with the country's best orchestras and conductors, including Kirill Kondrashin, Rudolf Barshai and Natan Rakhlin. In 1961, she appeared in Warsaw, playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2, Kabalevsky's Piano Sonata No. 3 and a matinée recital of six preludes. In 1972, Zaritskaya emigrated to Israel, binding her professional careers – both as a performer and teacher – with the Rubin Academy of Music. In 1985, she moved to England and settled in London. She appeared occasionally with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

, the

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall, Birmingham in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its adminis ...

and accompanied violinist Boris Belkin. She primarily taught at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

, but also at the

Yehudi Menuhin School The Yehudi Menuhin School is a specialist music school in Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey, England, founded in 1963 by violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. The current director of music is the British classical pianist Ashley Wass. The school is one ...

and the

Purcell School The Purcell School for Young Musicians is a specialist private music school for children, located in the town of Bushey, south Hertfordshire, England, and is the oldest specialist music school in the UK. The school was awarded the UNESCO Mozar ...

. Her students include

Danny Driver Danny Driver (born 1977) is a British classical pianist. He was born and grew up in London. His mother is Israeli, and his first language was Hebrew. His father was a keen amateur violinist who studied at Oxford University. Through his mother, ...

, Eytan Pessen,Charles Owen, Wu Qian an
Alba Ventura
Zaritskaya's final concert appearance was on 9 August 1995, at the Jubilee 50th International Chopin Festival in Duszniki where she performed works by Scriabin, Prokofiev, Kabalevsky and Chopin.

Personal life

Zaritskaya was married to violinist and current fellow and professor of the

, Dr. Felix Andrievsky. Her daughter is the pianist Alexandra Andrievsky.

Notes

References

External links

Fryderyk Chopin Information Centre
Ukrainian women pianists Prize-winners of the International Chopin Piano Competition 2001 deaths 1939 births 20th-century Ukrainian classical pianists Jewish classical pianists Women classical pianists 20th-century women pianists Moscow Conservatory alumni {{Ukraine-classical-pianist-stub