Vladimir Feltsman
A pianist whose defiant emigration from the Soviet Union amplified his profound interpretations of Bach and Chopin for the world.
Born 1952 (age 74)·Russian-American pianist·Birthday: January 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born in Moscow, Vladimir Feltsman was a child prodigy, making his concert debut with the Moscow Philharmonic at age eleven. His early career flourished within the Soviet system, but his 1979 application for an exit visa to Israel led to eight years of artistic suppression, his performances banned and recordings shelved. This period of internal exile deepened his connection to the introspective works of Bach and the poetic nationalism of Chopin. Finally arriving in the West in 1987, his dramatic story and commanding technique made his Carnegie Hall debut a major event. Settling in the United States, Feltsman built a life as a respected pedagogue and a pianist of intellectual rigor, his playing marked by a clarity that feels both ancient and urgently personal.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Vladimir was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Vladimir Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Vladimir's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Made a headline-grabbing debut at Carnegie Hall in 1987 immediately after his emigration from the Soviet Union.
- Served as the Artistic Director of the International Festival-Institute at State University of New York at New Paltz for many years.
- Recorded an extensive discography spanning from Baroque to 20th-century repertoire for labels like Nimbus and Sony Classical.
- Was the first Soviet émigré musician to perform at the White House, playing for President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
Did You Know?
His father, Oskar, was a noted composer of music for Soviet films and cartoons.
During his 'blacklisted' years in the USSR, he supported himself by translating philosophical and musical texts.
He is an avid photographer and has held exhibitions of his work.
He became a U.S. citizen in 1995.
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