Svyatoslav Nikolaevich Knushevitsky, (1907 [1908], Petrovsk, Saratov province — 1963, Moscow). An outstanding Soviet cellist and professor at the Moscow Conservatory, awarded Stalin Prize of the third degree in 1950. In 1956, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
In 1923, Knushevitsky entered the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Semyon Kozolupov. After completing his studies, he became a cello concertmaster in the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra and worked at this place until 1943. After winning the First All-Union Competition of Performing Musicians in 1933, he began a solo and chamber career.
In the 1940s, Knushevitsky began performing in an ensemble with pianist Lev Oborin and violinist David Oistrakh. Their trio soon gained worldwide fame, and in 1958 they performed abroad for the first time, in London. The most famous recordings of this ensemble include all the piano trios of Schubert and Beethoven, as well as Beethoven's Triple Concerto.
Knushevitsky's performance was distinguished by the melodious sound of the instrument and high virtuosity. He has given solo concerts in Austria, Germany and other European countries, and his performance at the Pablo Casals Festival in Puerto Rico aroused great public interest.
Knushevitsky was the first performer of a restored version of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations published in 1956. His name has been immortalized in cello concerts by Myaskovsky, Khachaturian, Glier and Vasilenko. From 1942 he taught at the Moscow Conservatory, from 1950 he was a professor, and in 1954-1959 he headed the Department of cello and double bass.
Svyatoslav Nikolaevich Knushevitsky died in Moscow on February 19, 1963 and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.
