Wiktor Karpowicz Mierżanow (2010)

An outstanding pianist of international renown, he was born on 15 August 1919 in Tambov and died on 20 December 2012 in Moscow. Between 1936 and 1941, he studied at the Moscow State Conservatory named after Pyotr Tchaikovsky, graduating with honours from the classes of Samuel Feinberg (piano) and Alexander Geidke (organ). One of the last representatives of the so-called Great Russian School of Piano, he was among the most renowned piano teachers in the world.

From 1946, he was a teacher, and from 1964, a professor at the Moscow Conservatory named after Pyotr Tchaikovsky. In addition to his work at the Moscow Conservatory, he conducted a master class in his hometown of Tambov. From 1973 to 1978, he was also a professor at the then State Higher School of Music in Warsaw. Viktor Merzhanov trained over a hundred pianists, including 11 winners of first prizes at international piano competitions. He was invited to conduct master classes in piano at the world's most important centres of musical life (including Paris, London, Tokyo and Los Angeles). He sat on the jury of the most prestigious competitions: the Pyotr Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Ludwig van Beethoven Competition in Vienna, the Béla Bartók and Ferenc Liszt Competitions in Budapest, the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, the Ferruccio Busoni Competition in Bolzano, and the Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw.

He made his debut as a concert pianist in 1939 at the Moscow State Philharmonic. He gained international recognition when he tied for first place with Sviatoslav Richter at the All-Union Competition for Performing Musicians in Moscow in 1945. Four years later, he won the 4th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He gave over 2,500 recitals, performed in chamber ensembles and gave solo performances with symphony orchestras. In addition to his teaching activities, he has performed all over the world, in almost all European countries, the United States, Canada, Uruguay, Japan and China. His extensive repertoire included works by composers from various eras, including contemporary composers.

Mierżanow's recordings confirm his highest level of pianism. He has 22 LPs and 5 CDs to his credit, which he recorded in Russia, the USA, Italy and Japan. He is also the author of numerous publications on pianism and music pedagogy. He was, among other things, the scientific editor of editions of piano works by many composers, including J. S. Bach, M. Mussorgsky, S. Rachmaninoff and R. Schumann.

The artist had strong ties to Wrocław. In 1964, he was invited by the authorities of the then State Higher School of Music to conduct a master class with students. Since then, he has been a frequent guest at the university, and his master classes have always attracted a large group of young piano students. From 1978, he was invited every year to the International Piano Masterclass in Duszniki-Zdrój, co-organised by the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław.

For his achievements, Mierżanow received many awards and distinctions, including an honorary doctorate from the Belarusian State Academy of Music in Minsk and the title of honorary president of the European Piano Teachers Association in Russia.

In recognition of his great achievements, outstanding artistic, pedagogical and cultural contributions, with particular emphasis on Prof. W. Mierżanow's contribution to the development of world piano playing and music pedagogy, the Senate of the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław decided to honour the artist with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in 2010.