Igor Markevitch

Igor Borisovitch Markevitch (Russian: Игорь Борисович Маркевич, Igor Borisovich Markevich, Ukrainian: Ігор Борисович Маркевич, Ihor Borysovych Markevych; July 27, 1912 – March 7, 1983) was a Ukrainian composer and conductor who studied and worked in Paris, was naturalized Italian in 1947 and French in 1982. He was commissioned in 1929 for a piano concerto by impresario Serge Diaghilev of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

Markevitch settled in Italy during World War II, becoming a citizen. After the war, he moved to Switzerland. He had an international conducting career from there. He was married twice and had three sons and two daughters.

Igor Markevitch was born in Kiev, Ukraine, at that time a part of the Russian Empire, to an old family of Cossack starshyna who were ennobled in the 18th century. His great-grandfather Andrey Markevitch was a Secretary of State at the time of Alexander II of Russia and Actual Privy Councilor in St. Petersburg. Andrey Markevitch was also one of founders of the Russian Musical Society. Igor Markevitch was a son of pianist Boris Markevitch and Zoia Pokhitonova (daughter of painter Ivan Pokhitonov). The family moved to Paris in 1914 when Igor was two. They moved again to neutral Switzerland in 1916 during the World War I, because of his father Boris's health problems (he later died of tuberculosis). Pianist Alfred Cortot, perhaps the greatest French pianist of his time, recognized the boy's talent. He advised him at age 14 in 1926 to go to Paris for training in both composition and piano at the École Normale. There Markevitch studied under both Cortot and Nadia Boulanger.

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