Sergei Bortkiewicz, Ukrainian Composer: "Through Hardship To The Stars"

Send us Fan MailDescriptionSergei Bortkiewicz, a Ukrainian composer and pianist, was oppressed by the Soviets and the Nazis, a refugee and survivor of two World Wars, yet he composed wonderfully rich, appealing and colourful music. Join me, as we take a minute to get the scoop!Fun FactThe outbreak of World War I in 1914 changed Bortkiewicz's life: Being a citizen of the Russian Empire, he was—together with his wife—initially put under house arrest and later deported from Germany to Russia. He returned to Kharkov, where he established himself as a music teacher, and also gave concerts. Hear his 3rd Piano Concerto.About StevenSteven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.A Note To Music Students et al.All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: [email protected] Love classical music? There's more to discover.If you enjoyed this episode, you can read the companion article and subscribe on Substack at The Classical Music Minute. And for a brand-new narrated classical music story every day, download the Classical Minute app for iPhone.Until next time, I'm Steven Hobé. Thanks for listening to The Classical Music Minute.