Brahms - Emil Gilels, Ballade Op.10 No. 1 in D minor video

(Moscow, 27 december 1977) Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (Ukrainian: Емі́ль Григо́рович Гі́лельс, Russian: Эми́ль Григо́рьевич Ги́лельс, Emi'li Grego'rievič Gi'lelis; October 19, 1916 October 14, 1985) was a Soviet pianist, widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. His last name is sometimes transliterated Hilels. Gilels was born in Odessa (now part of Ukraine). He began studying the piano at the age of five[3] under Yakov Tkach, who was a student of the French pianists Raoul Pugno[4] and Alexander Villoing[3] Thus, through Tkach, Gilels had a pedagogical genealogy stretching back to Chopin, via Pugno, and to Muzio Clementi, via Villoing. Tkach was a stern disciplinarian who emphasized scales and studies. Gilels later credited this strict training for establishing the foundation of his technique.[3] Gilels made his public debut at the age of 12 in June 1929 with a well-received program of Beethoven, Scarlatti, Chopin, and Schumann.[3] In 1930, Gilels entered the Odessa Conservatory where he was coached by Berta Reingbald, whom Gilels credited as a formative influence. After graduating from the Odessa Conservatory (Ukraine) in 1935 , he moved to Moscow where he studied under the famous piano teacher Heinrich Neuhaus until 1937. A year later he was awarded first prize at the 1938 Ysaÿe International Festival in Brussels by a distinguished jury whose members included Arthur Rubinstein, Samuil Feinberg, Emil von Sauer, Ignaz Friedman, Walter ...