Leonora Josiović
What Jaroslav Sonsky is appreciating the most is the artistic work together with Leonora Josiovich, born in Odessa, a city that has given the world many musicians of highest possible level;
David Oistrach, Nathan Milstein, Semyon Snitkovsky, Svjatoslav Richter.....the city where an outstanding violin professor by name Stoliarsky was active. Leonora Josiovich grew up in a musicians family. Her mother Jadwiga Bernstein was the very first pianist to perform with David Oistrach. When Leonora Josiovich moved to Moscow, she started a duo with the violinist Semyon Snitkovsky. She played with him for 27 years, they rehearsed every day until to the very early death of S. Snitkovsky. She was very often working in the class of David Oistrach. Anyone who has once listened to this eminent duo Snitkovsky - Josiovich is since then critical to violinists who only from time to time perform with pianists. David Oistrach himself one asked Leonora Josiovich to perform with him in the USA. She thanked him but declined; she stayed loyal to her work with Semyon Snitkovsky. Leonora Josiovich’s knowledge of the violin repertoire became enormous She has never played the violin herself but from her place at the piano she has been able to give violinists such a lesson that very few other musicians including violin professors could achieve. After the collapse of the communism she moved the the town of Worms in Germany. She no longer gives concerts but she is nowadays still teaching with great success.
David Oistrach about Leonora Josiovich
”The pianist Leonora Josiovitch was born in Odessa and passed her diploma master degree at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow studying with Prof. Feinberg. 1957 Leonora Josiovitch received first prize and the title ”Laureate” at a competition for active artists within the whole Soviet Union in connection with an international youth festival. After that L. Josiovitch performed as a piano soloist and together with the international prize winner, the violinist Semyon Snitkovsky. for 27 years the duo was performing, giving a large amount of concerts in the Soviet Union and abroad. Their mastership as performing artists grew in importance as their repertoire increased. Their repertoire contained works from various times and styles and was thus enriched.
In connection with her presence at the Queen Elizabeth International Competition in Brussels 1968 Leonora Josiovitch received great appreciation for her accompanying talent from the jury, the initiated audience as well as from the critics. L. Josiovitch playing shows artistic maturity, real mastership in performance, highest level of technic, sensitive musicality and a strong sense for the appropriate style.
Leonora Josiovitch important mastership as an accompanying pianist was many times shown at radio- and gramophone recordings. She deserves all respect and a place among the best accompanists in our country and a special honour for maintaining and practising her mastership.”
