problem, and it turned out that she had a brain tumor which required surgery. Within a few months, she celebrated her 50th birthday by performing three piano concertos in one evening – Bach's f minor, Beethoven Third, and Rachmaninoff's Third with Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. Maria Grinberg died on July 14, 1978, in Tallinn, Estonia, ten weeks before her seventieth birthday. The Gnessin Institute's director, chorus master Vladimir Minin (who a year before had forced Grinberg to resign from her teaching position), refused to hold a memorial ceremony on the Institute's premises, and it was only thanks to the efforts of Deputy Minister of Culture Kukharsky, the great pianist was given her last honor in a proper way. Her sense of humor was legendary. Those who knew her recall a story. Her patronymic was Israilyevna (that is, "daughter of Israel", Israel being the first name of her father). In 1967, during the period of heightened tension between the Soviet Union and the State of Israel which the Soviets always addressed as "Israeli aggressors," Grinberg introduced herself as "Maria Aggressorovna." References External links "http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Grinberg-Maria.htm" Soviet classical pianists Soviet women pianists Jewish classical pianists Ukrainian Jews Musicians from Odesa 1908 births 1978 deaths Academic staff of Gnessin State Musical College Women classical pianists Jewish Ukrainian musicians Odesa Jews