ARTUR LEMBA (24 SEPTEMBER 1885, TALLINN – 21
NOVEMBER 1963, TALLINN)
Artur Lemba was an Estonian
composer and piano teacher, and one of the most important figures in Estonian
classical music. Artur and his older brother Theodor (1876-1962) were the first
professional pianists in Estonia to give concerts abroad. Artur's 1905 opera
Sabina was the first opera composed by an Estonian. His Symphony No. 1 in 1908
was the first symphony composed by an Estonian. Lemba was a finalist in the
prestigious Anton Rubinstein Competition and later a professor at the Saint
Petersburg Conservatory. Artur Lemba learned piano from his brother Theodor
Lemba. In 1899, following in his brother's footsteps, he enrolled at the St.
Petersburg Conservatory. There he studied piano with Carl van Arck, Prof. V.
Tolstov and I. Borovka. His composition teacher was Nicolai Soloviev and he
studied music theory with Alexander Lyadov, Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1908, he graduated, receiving a gold medal in piano, a
silver medal in composition, and the Anton Rubinstein prize (a Schröder piano).
At his graduation ceremony, Lemba performed his Piano Concerto No. 1. In 1910,
Artur Lemba participated in the Anton Rubinstein Competition for pianists,
where he placed among the eight finalists, including Arthur Rubinstein and
Edwin Fischer. After his graduation in 1908, Lemba became a piano teacher at
the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1915 he became a professor. He taught and
gave concerts in Saint Petersburg until 1920. Returning to Estonia, Lemba
worked as a piano teacher, eventually becoming head of the piano department at
the Tallinn Conservatory. Notable students included Elsa Avesson, Olav Roots,
Villem Reimann, Veera Lensin, Kirill Raudsepp and others. In addition to the
concerts in Estonia, Lemba performed in Saint Petersburg, Riga, Moscow, Odessa,
Budapest, Helsinki and Stockholm. Lemba's Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major
(1905) is often regarded as his best known work, described as having a
memorable melody. Lemba's Poéme d’amour (1916) for violin and piano is also
popular in the violin repertoire. Lemba composed in almost every genre, with
two symphonies (the first of which is the earliest example by an Estonian composer),
three overtures, four operas, three cantatas, chamber music for different
ensembles and 30 choral works. For the piano, Lemba wrote five piano concertos,
two sonatas, two sonatinas, two preludes and more than 20 études.
TRACKLIST
1. WELTE-MIGNON 1990 GLAZOUNOV-BLUMENFELD -
Grande Concert Waltz, Op. 47, D
2. WELTE-MIGNON 2156 GLAZOUNOV - Piano Sonata
No. 2, Op. 75, e lst mvt.
3. WELTE-MIGNON 2157 GLAZOUNOV - Piano Sonata
No. 2, Op. 75, e 2nd mvt.
4. WELTE-MIGNON 2158 GLAZOUNOV - Piano Sonata No.
2, Op. 75, e 3rd mvt.
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