Samuil Abramovich Samosud (Russian: Самуи́л Абра́мович Самосу́д) (Tbilisi, Georgia, 14 May [O.S. 2 May] 1884 — Moscow, 6 November 1964), PAU, was a Soviet and Russian conductor.
He started his musical career on the cello, before conducting in the Mariinsky Theater, Petrograd in 1917. From 1918 to 1936 he conducted at the Maly Operny, Leningrad. In 1936 he became musical director at the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow. He founded what became the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra in 1951. He premiered several important works, including Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, The Nose, "Leningrad Symphony" and Prokofiev's War and Peace. Shostakovich "had a high opinion" of Samosud's theatrical performances, and regarded him as "the supreme interpreter" of operatic works including Lady Macbeth.[1] Nonetheless, after Samosud premiered the Leningrad Symphony, the composer wrote that he wanted to hear Mravinsky perform the symphony, as he didn't "have great faith in Samosud as a symphonic conductor".[2]
References
- ^ Shostakovich, Dmitri; Isaak Glikman (2001). Story of a Friendship: The Letters of Dmitry Shostakovich to Isaak Glikman, 1941-1975. trans. Anthony Phillips. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. xxxvi. ISBN 0-8014-3979-5.
- ^ Shostakovich, Dmitri; Isaak Glikman (2001). Story of a Friendship: The Letters of Dmitry Shostakovich to Isaak Glikman, 1941-1975. trans. Anthony Phillips. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-8014-3979-5.
External links
- Samuel Samosud — Biography on Prokofiev.org (on Internet Archive, captured on 4 February 2012)
| Cultural offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by unknown | Music Directors, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow 1936–1942 | Succeeded by Ari Pazovsky |
| Preceded by none | Music Directors, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra 1951–1957 | Succeeded by Kiril Kondrashin |
| Preceded by none | Principal Conductors, State Symphony Capella of Russia 1957–1964 | Succeeded by Yuri Ahronovich |