April 15, 2019.Three pianists and two conductors.This week we’ll celebrate several interpreters, rather than creators, of music: pianists Schnabel, Sokolov and Perahia, and conductors Stokowski and John Eliot Gardiner.Artur Schnabel, born on April 17th of 1882, was one of the most important pianists of the first half of the 20th century.Schnabel was Jewish, born Aaron, in a small town in Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.His family moved to Vienna when he was seven.His piano teacher was the famous Theodor Leschetizky, who said to Schnabel, “You will never be a pianist; you are a musician” and had him play Schubert’s sonatas rather than the popular bravura pieces by Liszt.In 1898 Schnabel moved to Berlin, the place where his career flourished till Nazis took over in 1933.He performed with all the greatest conductors of the time (Furtwängler, Walter and Klemperer among them) and toured the major concert halls in Europe and America.Schnabel left Berlin in 1933, first for England, and then, in 1939, for the US.While in England, he made the first ever recording of all the piano sonatas by Beethoven (they were made in the course of several years, from 1932 to 1935 at Abbey Road Studios in London).In 1944 he became a US citizen.Here’ is Beethoven’s Sonata no. 25, op. 78 in that historic London recording.
Who would’ve thought, in 1966, that the 16-year-old Grigory Sokolov, the unexpected winner of the Third Tchaikovsky Piano competition, would turn into one of the most interesting and introspective pianists of the generation?Back then the Moscow public was rooting for Misha Dichter and suspected that Sokolov’s win was a result of the Soviet cultural officialdom manipulations.For the following 25-something years Sokolov’s career went nowhere, till his concerts in Europe and the US in 1990.These days Sokolov is a cult figure.He doesn’t record in the studio but allows his live concerts to be recorded (in that he’s the exact opposite of Glenn Gould).Sokolov has a huge repertoire; he’s famous as a great interpreter of Bach, Schubert, Schumann, Rameau and other classics.Here’s Haydn’s piano sonata no.47 in B minor, Hob.XVI:32, recorded live in Munich in 2018.
Somehow all the pianists we’re celebrating today have Jewish roots.Schnabel was Jewish, Sokolov – half Jewish (by his father, his mother was Russian).Not that it matters, but Murray Perahia, one of the most interesting pianists of the last quarter of the century, is also Jewish – a Sephardim, as opposed to the Ashkenazi Schnabel and Sokolov.Perahia has a broad repertoire, but his Bach is especially interesting – as far from Glenn Gould’s as one can imagine, but as exciting.In 1990 Perahia suffered an injury to his hand and his problems persisted for many years.He has recovered and records and plays concerts in the US and Europe.Here’s Bach’s English Suite no. 1 in Murray Perahia’s 1997 recording.
Two conductors, Leopold Stokowski and John Eliot Gardiner, were also born this week, Stokowski on April 18th of 1882, one day after Schnabel, Gardiner on April 20th of 1943.Stokowski, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s music director from 1912 to 1938, reigned supreme in the first half of the 20th century, and even though his idiosyncratic performances seem dated these days, he clearly was a magnificent conductor.Gardiner, on the other hand, is one of the most interesting Bach interpreters, and is going close to the source.We’ll write more about both later.
Three pianists, two conductor 2019
April 15, 2019. Three pianists and two conductors. This week we’ll celebrate several interpreters, rather than creators, of music: pianists Schnabel, Sokolov and Perahia, and
conductors Stokowski and John Eliot Gardiner. Artur Schnabel, born on April 17th of 1882, was one of the most important pianists of the first half of the 20th century. Schnabel was Jewish, born Aaron, in a small town in Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. His family moved to Vienna when he was seven. His piano teacher was the famous Theodor Leschetizky, who said to Schnabel, “You will never be a pianist; you are a musician” and had him play Schubert’s sonatas rather than the popular bravura pieces by Liszt. In 1898 Schnabel moved to Berlin, the place where his career flourished till Nazis took over in 1933. He performed with all the greatest conductors of the time (Furtwängler, Walter and Klemperer among them) and toured the major concert halls in Europe and America. Schnabel left Berlin in 1933, first for England, and then, in 1939, for the US. While in England, he made the first ever recording of all the piano sonatas by Beethoven (they were made in the course of several years, from 1932 to 1935 at Abbey Road Studios in London). In 1944 he became a US citizen. Here’ is Beethoven’s Sonata no. 25, op. 78 in that historic London recording.
Who would’ve thought, in 1966, that the 16-year-old Grigory Sokolov, the unexpected winner of the Third Tchaikovsky Piano competition, would turn into one of the most interesting and introspective pianists of the generation? Back then the Moscow public was rooting for Misha Dichter and suspected that Sokolov’s win was a result of the Soviet cultural officialdom manipulations. For the following 25-something years Sokolov’s career went nowhere, till his concerts in Europe and the US in 1990. These days Sokolov is a cult figure. He doesn’t record in the studio but allows his live concerts to be recorded (in that he’s the exact opposite of Glenn Gould). Sokolov has a huge repertoire; he’s famous as a great interpreter of Bach, Schubert, Schumann, Rameau and other classics. Here’s Haydn’s piano sonata no.47 in B minor, Hob.XVI:32, recorded live in Munich in 2018.
Somehow all the pianists we’re celebrating today have Jewish roots. Schnabel was Jewish, Sokolov – half Jewish (by his father, his mother was Russian). Not that it matters, but Murray Perahia, one of the most interesting pianists of the last quarter of the century, is also Jewish – a Sephardim, as opposed to the Ashkenazi Schnabel and Sokolov. Perahia has a broad repertoire, but his Bach is especially interesting – as far from Glenn Gould’s as one can imagine, but as exciting. In 1990 Perahia suffered an injury to his hand and his problems persisted for many years. He has recovered and records and plays concerts in the US and Europe. Here’s Bach’s English Suite no. 1 in Murray Perahia’s 1997 recording.
Two conductors, Leopold Stokowski and John Eliot Gardiner, were also born this week, Stokowski on April 18th of 1882, one day after Schnabel, Gardiner on April 20th of 1943. Stokowski, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s music director from 1912 to 1938, reigned supreme in the first half of the 20th century, and even though his idiosyncratic performances seem dated these days, he clearly was a magnificent conductor. Gardiner, on the other hand, is one of the most interesting Bach interpreters, and is going close to the source. We’ll write more about both later.