Julian Sitkovetsky
{{Short description|Soviet violinist (1925–1958)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Julian Sitkovetsky
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| image_size =
| landscape =
| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_date = {{birth date |df=y|1925|11|07}}
| birth_place = Kiev
| origin =
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1958|02|23|1925|11|07}}
| death_place = Moscow
| genre = Classical music
| occupation =
| instrument = violin
| years_active = 1933–1956
| label =
}}
Julian (or Yulian) Grigoryevich Sitkovetsky (7 November 1925 – 23 February 1958) was a Soviet violinist.
Biography
Sitkovetsky was born in Kiev. He started violin lesson at age 4, first with his father, then with David Bertie at the Central School in Kiev (Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union). As a child prodigy, he was chosen to play for Jacques Thibaud at age 8. One year later, he played the Mendelssohn concerto with the Kiev Symphony. In 1939, he enrolled in the Moscow Central Music School, class of Abram Yampolsky, whose students included Leonid Kogan, Igor Besrodny and Rotislav Dubinsky.
In 1945 Julian Sitkovetsky won the All Soviet Union Young Performers Competition of piano, cello and violin (Sviatoslav Richter and Mstislav Rostropovich were the winners in piano and cello).{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} In 1947, he shared First Prize at the Prague Festival with Leonid Kogan and Igor Besrodny.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}
He married pianist Bella Davidovich in 1950 and their son Dmitry Sitkovetsky (who became an eminent violinist and conductor) was born four years later.
In 1952, he shared second prize in the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition with Wanda Wiłkomirska (first prize was Igor Oistrakh).{{Cite web|title=2nd International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition|url=https://www.wieniawski.com/2ivc.html|access-date=2021-02-25|website=www.wieniawski.com}} In 1955 he won Second Prize at the Queen Elizabeth Music Competition.{{Cite web|title=Laureates|url=https://queenelisabethcompetition.be/en/laureates/|access-date=2021-02-25|website=queenelisabethcompetition.be|language=fr}}{{Cite web|url=https://concoursreineelisabeth.be/Concours3/documents/Donneesannuelles1937201942789.pdf|access-date=2021-02-25|title=Queen Elisabeth Competition 1937–2019 – Violin 1955}} (Of which Yehudi Menuhin said: "...David Oistrakh and I were on the jury...he should have had First Prize...").{{Cite web|title=Юлиан Ситковецкий. Коллекция|url=https://melody.su/en/catalog/classic/47432/|access-date=2021-02-25|website=Firma Melodiya|language=en}} (Source for the given information, no word-by-word citation.)
Sitkovetsky never toured much, as he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1956. He died in Moscow in 1958 at age 32.
Legacy
Joseph Magil in the American Record Guide said of Sitkovetsky : "...David Oistrakh said that, had he lived, Sitkovetsky would have eclipsed him and Kogan... He had a broad, firm, focused tone in all registers; flawless intonation; a rapid, even trill; a swift, perfectly controlled staccato; strong, immaculate harmonics; an even, clear sautillé..."American Record Guide, June–July 2006{{Full citation needed|date=June 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{AllMusic|title=Julian Sitkovetsky|class=artist|id=mn0001652443}}
- {{cite web|title=Soviet Violinist Julian Sitkovetsky Died on This Day in 1958|url=https://theviolinchannel.com/julian-sitkovetsky-violin-virtuoso-died-on-this-day-1958/|website=The Violin Channel|access-date=23 January 2017|date=23 February 2016}}
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Category:Russian classical violinists
Category:Male classical violinists
Category:Prize-winners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition
Category:Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition prize-winners