Biography
At the St Petersburg Conservatory Blumenfeld completed his composition studies as a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov. Upon receiving his diploma he joined the faculty and continued teaching there until 1918. Widely respected as a conductor, he directed the premieres of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Servilia in 1902 and Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh in 1907, presented the Russian premiere of Tristan Isolde in 1899, and led the Russian seasons in Paris in 1908. He was equally celebrated as a pianist and introduced numerous works by Glazunov, Lyadov and Arensky. His own compositions reflected Chopin’s influence and stood close in idiom to the members of the Belyayev Circle. Although his music enjoyed considerable popularity during his lifetime, it soon fell out of circulation and is rarely encountered today.
Singles
