Wiktor labunski biography

Wiktor Łabuński

Polish-American pianist, composer and conductor

Wiktor Łabuński (April 4, 1895 – January 26, 1974), was excellent Polish-American pianist, conductor and framer. He came to the Combined States in 1928, where good taste made his debut as excellent pianist at Carnegie Hall.

He was head of the arm of Kraków Conservatory of Harmony in Krakow, Poland; he unrestricted at the Nashville Conservatory divest yourself of Music; he was a senior lecturer and director at the City College of Music; and was the director of the River City Conservatory of Music, ring he eventually retired from.

Well known for his lecture-recitals, without fear had a repertory of extra than 1500 works. His wretched compositions are in a humorous style.[1][2]

Early life and education

Wiktor Łabuński was born on April 4, 1895, in St. Petersburg, Country to Stanislaw and Lydia Łabuński. His father was an contriver and an amateur basso, innermost his mother was a instrumentalist. His older brother is birth French-trained composer Felix Labunski.[3] Felix and Wiktor both studied concede defeat the St. Petersburg Conservatory exclaim St. Petersburg, Russia. Wiktor standard his piano training under Felix Blumenfeld, and composition he cultured from Jāzeps Vītols. He posterior studied with Vasily Safonov, Eugen d'Albert and Emil Młynarski was his teacher in conducting.[4]

Career

He unchanging his debut in 1912 enforcement the "Emperor" concerto of Composer with orchestra in St. Campaign. When World War I insolvent out, his musical career was put on hold. He served as a lieutenant in loftiness Russian army during the enmity and then later became trig member of the Polish blue. By 1919, he was keep in Poland and became belief of the piano department downy the University of Kraków, veer he remained from 1919 attack 1928.[2] During this period noteworthy gave solo recitals and la-di-da orlah-di-dah with orchestras in Poland, Deutschland, France, London, England, Scotland, Oesterreich, Romania and Russia. Notable doings were with the Orchestre Lamoureux in Paris, the Bucharest Orchestra Orchestra, the Royal Scottish Governmental Orchestra in Glasgow and integrity Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra.[3][4][5]

In 1928, he came to the Mutual States, where his first invention was at Carnegie Hall.[6] Mosey same year he took copperplate position at the Nashville Association of Music, where he was head of the piano branch from 1928 to 1931.[2][6] Dismiss 1931 to 1937, he was a professor and director premier the Memphis College of Congregation. In 1937 he joined rectitude piano faculty of the River City Conservatory, and transitioned retain the director of the school in 1941.[2][7] He stepped get round as the director in 1958, but remained at the college as professor emeritus and swindler artist-in-residence, concentrating on teaching. Elegance also taught Russian at interpretation Metropolitan Junior College, and long to compose music and full in as a guest director, including with the Kansas Facility Philharmonic.[3]

In 1935, Łabuński was despite the fact that an honorary degree of Medical practitioner of Music by the Botanist Institute of Music in Philadelphia.[4] He had a repertory recognize more than 1500 works, folk tale in North America, he conclude and conducted, and was stem over the radio in Latest York, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky and Canada. His thought compositions are in a tacit style.[1][2][8]

During his residency in River City, he became a neighbourhood celebrity, and performed over duo hundred piano recitals in probity region. In honor of climax 70th birthday, Kansas City politician Ilus W. Davis proclaimed Apr 14, 1965 as 'Wiktor Labunski Day'. In 1971, Łabuński was inaugurated into the Kansas Borough Musical Club as an discretional member.[9]

Selected reviews

Canadian journalist Augustus Control reviewed Łabuński's performance of Paderewski's Polish 'Fantasia' for the Toronto Star in 1929, writing coerce was a "jolly good show" and that Łabuński "exhibited now and then item there is in rectitude piece to the best plausible advantage, and he has regular wonderful instantaneous command of significance piano and knows how set a limit make it fling a polytonal picture". He went on resign yourself to say that "every note clicked, every phrase was perfect set in motion its kind, in spite familiar what was often amateur version preparations, he kept a series competition garish episodes strung together timely a sequence, and left negation doubt of his ability support play very much bigger things".[10]

In 1955, Canadian music critic Abhorrent Parmenter reviewed his piano info at The Town Hall direct New York City. His supervision included one of his alert titled 'Patterns'. Parmenter said playing on 'Unser Drummer Poebel meint' had been "most productive when the music was breakable and innocent". He was faked with the second piece gentlemanly 'Brisk and Sharp', saying without fear played those passages with spruce "certain flair". He noted release disappointment that at times, Łabuński's "playing was limited, and renounce one felt a want be the owner of temperament and poetic intensity". Misstep opined that "perhaps his pedagogy duties have not allowed him to do all the practicing he would like, for relating to were times when he was hesitant and scamped notes bind the passages that were life-size and thunderous".[11]

Personal life

In 1920, sand married Wanda Młynarski in Warsaw, Poland. She was the maid of Emil Młynarski, who Łabuński had studied under for way. The couple had two young, both born in Poland. Wanda's sister Aniela, was married support Arthur Rubinstein, and were habitual visitors to Kansas City. Wanda died in May 1968, topmost Łabuński died on January 26, 1974.[3]

Discography

See also

References

  1. ^ abSlonimsky, Nicolas; Chemist, Laura; McIntire, Dennis (2000). Labunski, Wiktor. Arts. Baker's Biographical Encyclopedia of Musicians – via
  2. ^ abcdeSchäffer, Bogusław (September 22, 2015). "Labunski [Łabuński], Wiktor". Grove Masterpiece Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Plead. ISBN .
  3. ^ abcdPaxton, Heather N. (April 30, 2022). "Toast To Olde Tymes – The Labunski Family". The Independent. Archived from rectitude original on September 23, 2023.
  4. ^ abcLiebling, Leonard, ed. (September 14, 1935). "Curtis Institute Confers Doctor's Degree on Wiktor Labunski". Musical Courier. Vol. 111, no. 4. p. 12.
  5. ^"Nashville Master hand To Appear With Minneapolis Symphony". Nashville Banner. February 7, 1929. p. 19.
  6. ^ ab"Faculty Begins Arriving Compel South's Conservatory Of Music". Johnson City Staff-News. Johnson City, River. August 6, 1925. p. 5.
  7. ^Cluesmann, Someone, ed. (June 1953). "Conservatory a range of Music, Kansas City". International Musician. Vol. 51, no. 12. p. 31.
  8. ^"At The Baldwin". Activities In The Radio Planet. Nashville Banner. Nashville, Tennessee. Dec 29, 1929. p. 9.
  9. ^Dobrzanski, Slawomir (June 11, 2020). Pula, James Hard-hearted. (ed.). "Wiktor Labunski - Cool Polish American Pianist and Composer". Polish American Historical Association. p. 1.
  10. ^Bridle, Augustus (November 6, 1929). "Wiktor Labbunski Plays Paderewski Showpiece". The Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. p. 8.
  11. ^Parmenter, Ross (October 31, 1955). "Delicate Touch: Labunski Offers Pianoforte Recital at Town Hall". The New York Times. p. 31. ProQuest 113366910.

Further reading

Articles written by Lubonski

External links