BRAILOWSKY, ALEXANDER

BRAILOWSKY, ALEXANDER (1896–1976), U.S. pianist of Ukrainian birth. After study with his father, a professional pianist, Brailowsky continued his training at the Kiev Conservatory, graduating with a gold medal in 1911. Following advanced studies with Leschetizky in Vienna (1911–14) and Busoni in Zurich (1915), he completed his trainings with Planté in Paris, where he made his début in 1919. An exceptionally successful international career was to follow. Brailowsky was one of the first pianists to present a complete cycle of Chopin's solo works. He played them in six recitals in Paris (1924) and later in New York, Buenos Aires, Brussels, Zurich, and Mexico City. He made a coast-to-coast tour of the U.S. in 1936. Brailowsky was noted for his strong virtuosic approach, extreme clarity of texture, cleanly articulated phrasing, and technical panache. His repertory encompassed many of the big virtuoso works of the Romantics. He was particularly admired for his playing of Chopin and Liszt. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Grove online; MGG; Baker's Biographical Dictionary (1997). (Naama Ramot (2nd ed.)