MOISEIWITSCH, BENNO

MOISEIWITSCH, BENNO (1890–1963), pianist. Born in Odessa, Moiseiwitsch won the Anton Rubinstein Prize at the Odessa Academy at the age of nine, and later studied with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna. He was regarded by many as the finest Chopin interpreter of his time. His London debut took place in 1909. He settled in England during World War I and thereafter played frequently in Britain and on concert tours abroad. His repertoire was extremely wide, but in his later years he tended to confine his programs to the standard favorites. His daughter, TANYA MOISEIWITSCH (1914–2003), became a theatrical designer. She designed 50 productions in Dublin, and from 1940 worked in London, Stratford, and Edinburgh. She also designed productions at Stratford, Ontario, at the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Habimah, Tel Aviv, etc. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: M. Moiseiwitsch, Moiseiwitsch (Eng., 1965); R. Newqvist, Showcase (1966), 277–86 (on Tanya). (Dora Leah Sowden)