Abstract:
The purpose of this dissertation is to reintroduce Isaac Mikhnovsky (1914-1978) to a new generation of scholars and musicians. Not only was Mikhnovsky a brilliant pianist who gave the Russian premiere of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, he was also an outstanding composer who wrote a number of original works and created many transcriptions on songs by Glinka, Borodin, Tchaikovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov as well as several larger Concert Fantasies based on Russian operas. This work contains a detailed analysis of these Concert Fantasies and assesses their significance within the history of the piano virtuoso piano transcription genre and within the vast solo keyboard repertoire. Furthermore, the formal study of these highly original, technically demanding, yet faithful renditions of the operatic material is the first scholarly research of Mikhnovsky's works. In addition, this document will assist scholars and performers who wish to expand their knowledge of the Russian piano heritage.
