Knushevitskii, Sviatoslav

Knushevitskii, Sviatoslav Nikolaevich 

Born Dec. 24, 1907 (Jan. 6, 1908), in Petrovsk, present-day Saratov Oblast; died Feb. 19, 1963, in Moscow. Soviet cellist. Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR (1956).

In 1929, Knushevitskii graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, where he had studied under S. M. Kozolupov. He was awarded first prize at the first Ail-Union Competition of Performing Musicians in 1933. He was a soloist with the orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR from 1929 to 1943 and with the orchestra of the Ail-Union Radio Committee from 1943 to 1951. In 1933, Knushevitskii began touring extensively in the USSR and abroad. Beginning in 1940 he performed as part of a trio with L. N. Oborin and D. F. Oistrakh.

Knushevitskii’s playing was marked by a poetic quality, noble phrasing, and a warm, expressive tone. He was the first to play cello concerti written for him by N. Ia. Miaskovskii, A. I. Khachaturian, and S. N. Vasilenko, as well as other works by Soviet composers. In 1941 he became an instructor at the Moscow Conservatory, receiving a professorship there in 1950. A recipient of the State Prize of the USSR in 1950, Knushevitskii was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and various medals.