April 1, 2019.Three pianists were born on this day.We usually talk about Sergei Rachmaninov as a composer, but he was also one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.Josef Hofmann, himself a superlative pianist to whom Rachmaninov dedicated his Third Piano Concerto, joked that he would gladly swap his fingers for Rachmaninov’s and would add his toes to boot (there’s some truth to the joke: Hofmann’s hands were of average size, while Rachmaninov had huge hands that allowed him to easily play the most difficult chords).Contemporaries compared Rachmaninov to Liszt and Anton Rubinstein.He was a supreme virtuoso who never showed off, being concerned with the structure and the overall line of a composition.Rachmaninov was an expressive pianist with a beautiful sound (Arthur Rubinstein raved about his tone), and his rhythm was freer than what we’re used to these days, but when we listen to his recordings, the playing sounds felicitous to the composer’s intent.Rachmaninov often played his own compositions, both his numerous piano miniatures and concertos.Rachmaninov made many recordings, the earliest – in 1919, for Edison Records.He also made a number of recording rolls, many of them for the American Piano Company (Ampico).Rachmaninov, initially skeptical of the quality of the recordings, said, after listening to a reproduced piano roll: "Gentlemen – I, Sergei Rachmaninov, have just heard myself play!"Here is an example, Rachmaninov “performing” his own Prelude in G minor, op. 23, no. 5.The piano roll was digitized and then played on a Bösendorfer 290 SE Reproducing Piano.
A very different pianist, Dinu Lipatti, was born on this day in 1917 in Bucharest.He studied at the local conservatory where he was awarded prizes as a pianist and composer.In 1934 he participated in the Vienna piano competition and was awarded the second prize.Alfred Cortot, who felt that Lipatti deserved to win, resigned from the jury and invited the young pianist to study with him in Paris.Lipatti joined Cortot’s piano class and also studied the composition with Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger.Lipatti’s performance career didn’t start till 1939 but soon after was interrupted with the beginning of WWII.
In 1943, with the help of the Swiss pianist Edwin Fischer, Lipatti emigrated to Switzerland and joined the conservatory in Geneva.It was around that time that his illness showed itself for the first time.It took doctors four years to diagnose it as Hodgkin's disease. (By an incredibly tragic coincidence, around the same time another talented pianist, Rosa Tamarkina, was also diagnosed with the same disease.Both continued to perform, even as their health declined.Both gave their last concerts and died in 1950, Lipatti at the age of 33, Tamarkina – even younger, just 30.)In 1946 Lipatti signed a contract with Columbia Records and made several recordings at his home in Geneva.During his last concert, given in September 1950 in Besançon he played Bach’s First Partita, Mozart’s A minor Sonata, two Schubert impromptus and the complete Chopin waltzes, except no.2, in A Flat, op. 34, no. 1, which he was too exhausted to play.Instead he played Myra Hess’s transcription of Bach’s Jesu, joy of man’s desiring as a last-minute substitution.Here’s Jesu in a recording made in 1947 in London.And here is Chopin’s Waltz in A Flat, op. 34, no. 2, the one he was too tired to perform during his last concert.
We’d like to note that today is the 75th anniversary of a wonderful Soviet-Russian-Ukrainian-Jewish-German pianist, Vladimir Krainev.He studied with Heinrich Neuhaus, won the Tchaikovsky competition in 1970, performed all over the world, and created an international foundation in support of young pianists.Krainev died in Hannover, Germany, on April 29th of 2011.
Three Pianists, 2019
April 1, 2019. Three pianists were born on this day. We usually talk about Sergei Rachmaninov as a composer, but he was also one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.
Josef Hofmann, himself a superlative pianist to whom Rachmaninov dedicated his Third Piano Concerto, joked that he would gladly swap his fingers for Rachmaninov’s and would add his toes to boot (there’s some truth to the joke: Hofmann’s hands were of average size, while Rachmaninov had huge hands that allowed him to easily play the most difficult chords). Contemporaries compared Rachmaninov to Liszt and Anton Rubinstein. He was a supreme virtuoso who never showed off, being concerned with the structure and the overall line of a composition. Rachmaninov was an expressive pianist with a beautiful sound (Arthur Rubinstein raved about his tone), and his rhythm was freer than what we’re used to these days, but when we listen to his recordings, the playing sounds felicitous to the composer’s intent. Rachmaninov often played his own compositions, both his numerous piano miniatures and concertos. Rachmaninov made many recordings, the earliest – in 1919, for Edison Records. He also made a number of recording rolls, many of them for the American Piano Company (Ampico). Rachmaninov, initially skeptical of the quality of the recordings, said, after listening to a reproduced piano roll: "Gentlemen – I, Sergei Rachmaninov, have just heard myself play!" Here is an example, Rachmaninov “performing” his own Prelude in G minor, op. 23, no. 5. The piano roll was digitized and then played on a Bösendorfer 290 SE Reproducing Piano.
A very different pianist, Dinu Lipatti, was born on this day in 1917 in Bucharest. He studied at the local conservatory where he was awarded prizes as a pianist and composer. In 1934 he participated in the Vienna piano competition and was awarded the second prize. Alfred Cortot, who felt that Lipatti deserved to win, resigned from the jury and invited the young pianist to study with him in Paris. Lipatti joined Cortot’s piano class and also studied the composition with Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger. Lipatti’s performance career didn’t start till 1939 but soon after was interrupted with the beginning of WWII.
In 1943, with the help of the Swiss pianist Edwin Fischer, Lipatti emigrated to Switzerland and joined the conservatory in Geneva. It was around that time that his illness showed itself for the first time. It took doctors four years to diagnose it as Hodgkin's disease. (By an incredibly tragic coincidence, around the same time another talented pianist, Rosa Tamarkina, was also diagnosed with the same disease. Both continued to perform, even as their health declined. Both gave their last concerts and died in 1950, Lipatti at the age of 33, Tamarkina – even younger, just 30.) In 1946 Lipatti signed a contract with Columbia Records and made several recordings at his home in Geneva. During his last concert, given in September 1950 in Besançon he played Bach’s First Partita, Mozart’s A minor Sonata, two Schubert impromptus and the complete Chopin waltzes, except no.2, in A Flat, op. 34, no. 1, which he was too exhausted to play. Instead he played Myra Hess’s transcription of Bach’s Jesu, joy of man’s desiring as a last-minute substitution. Here’s Jesu in a recording made in 1947 in London. And here is Chopin’s Waltz in A Flat, op. 34, no. 2, the one he was too tired to perform during his last concert.
We’d like to note that today is the 75th anniversary of a wonderful Soviet-Russian-Ukrainian-Jewish-German pianist, Vladimir Krainev. He studied with Heinrich Neuhaus, won the Tchaikovsky competition in 1970, performed all over the world, and created an international foundation in support of young pianists. Krainev died in Hannover, Germany, on April 29th of 2011.