Igor Markevitch – born in Kiev, Ukraine on July 27, 1912 – was an avant-garde composer and highly-respected conductor. Born into an ennobled family – his great grandfather was Secretary of State during the time of Alexander II of Russia and co-founder of the Russian Musical Society. Igor Markevitch’s family relocated to Paris, France in 1914 before finally settling in Switzerland two years later. His talent was discovered early, and he was encouraged to move to Paris, France to pursue training in piano and composition. He came to prominence in 1929 when he was commissioned to perform a piano concerto for choreographer Serge Diaghilev. Igor Markevitch was also asked to collaborate on a ballet with Boris Kochno. In the 1930s, he produced a minimum of one major work per year, earning accolades and being called ‘the second Igor’ (after Stravinsky). He continued to collaborate with several ballets – Rébus with Leonid Massine (1931) and L’Envol d’lcare with Serge Lifar (1932) – but the ballets never came to fruition although Igor Markevitch’s scores were performed live. He continued to compose works until October 1941, when he fell ill. After recovering, he chose to abandon composing and focus on conducting, leaving behind an impressive legacy of over two dozen major works. As a conductor, he received acclaim for his unique repertoire of French, Russian, and Austro-German works as well as 20th century music. During World War II, he lived in Italy, moving to Switzerland in 1947. He continued to conduct internationally, conducting for the Orchestre Lamoureux in Paris, France throughout the 1950s as well as the Spanish RTVE Orchestra (1965), the London Symphony Orchestra (1966), and several others. After ignoring his own compositions for several decades, he finally began to conduct his own works in 1970, which renewed interest in his music. Continuing to conduct into his early 70s, Igor Markevitch died on March 7, 1983, from a heart attack shortly after a Japanese and Russian tour. He left behind an exceptionally rich back catalog filled with titles such as Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Op. 67 (1950), Bach: The Musical Offering (1957), Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (1960), Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 (1964), and Bizet: L’Arlésienne-Suites No. 1 et 2 (1971). Even decades after his death, labels are releasing compilations honoring his musical legacy including Icon: The Complete HMV Recordings (2015), The Art of Igor Markevitch (2020), The Phillips Legacy (2021), and The Deutsche Grammophon Legacy (2021).
