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Carl Friedberg
1872-1955
Student of Clara Schumann

Carl Friedberg plays Brahms intermezzo, Op. 117, No. 1

Dame Myra Hess
1890-1965
Student of Tobias Matthay

Hess and Metropolous, Brahms D Minor Concerto, Live  

1917-1950
Died at age 33 of Hodgkins disease

Grieg Concerto, Dinu Lipatti, one of the pianists who left this world too soon. 

    

William Kapell
1922-1953
Killed in commercial plane
crash returning from a tour
in Australia

William Kapell in recital, the only known footage: Kapell Plays Scarlatti, Chopin and Gato. Another great who died too soon.

Here's Kapell playing Liszt's Mephisto Waltz (recorded in 1945 at age 22). Some feel this is among the finest recordings ever.

Dinu Lipatti

Dino Lipatti at his final recital,  Mozart K. 310, a recital he was too weakened by illness to finish.

Adelina De Lara
1862-1971

Adelina De Lara - "Clara Schumann and her teaching" - Reminiscences and Examples

Adelina de Lara plays Schumann's Kinderszenen



Click on Chopin's Berceuse played by 10 great pianists: 

1. Benno Moiseiwitsch, rec. 1916 (pupil of Leschetitzky) 
2. Josef Hofmann, 1918 (pupil of Anton Rubinstein) at 4:02
3. Wilhelm Backhaus, 1925 (pupil of Eugen d'Albert) at 7:18
4. Alfred Cortot, 1926 (pupil of Louis-Joseph Diémer) at 11:08
5. Ignaz Friedman, 1928 (pupil of Leschetitzky) at 15:30
6. Mark Hambourg, 1928 (pupil of Leschetitzky) at 18:57
7. Eileen Joyce, 1939 (pupil of Tobias Matthay) at 22:34
8. Mieczyslaw Horszowski, 1940 (pupil of Leschetitzky) at 26:48
9. Solomon (Cutner), 1945 (pupil of Mathilde Verne) at 30:58
10. Arthur Rubinstein, 1958 (pupil of Karl Heinrich Barth, who was a pupil of Hans von Bülow, Hans von Bronsart and Carl Tausig) at 36:04



Artur Rubinstein at Steinway, Hamburg, a delightful video of the late great master.


Chopin's Heroic Polonaise in A-flat played by Arthur Rubinstein

Joseph Lhevinne
1874-1944

Josef Lhevinne Plays Schumann
 Toccata, Op. 7 (c. 1935)

Muriel Kerr
1911-1963

He graduated at the top of his class from the Moscow Conservatory, a class that included Rachmaninoff and Scriabin.



















Muriel Kerr (My Teacher) 
Plays Scriabin Etude Op. 8, No 10, at age 17 (1929)















Moritz Rosenthal Plays Chopin Concerto, 75th Birthday


Here is another echo of the romantic past. (John Crown, one of my teachers, studied with Rosenthal in Vienna.)  Notice the slight disconnect between the left and right hands,  an expressive device used to great effect at the time. And I wonder if that might have been in the "air" at the time of Chopin.  I remember doing that sort of thing as a young student, either instinctively or because I had heard it done. But by the time my generation came along, that style was considered old-fashioned and was sorely frowned upon.

From the Youtube notes: "Here, Moriz Rosenthal, a student of the Chopin pupil Karol Mikuli and later Franz Liszt, performs the second movement of Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor in a concert that was broadcast live during the pianist's 75th birthday celebration, December 19, 1937. The NBC Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Frank Black. Celebrants shown enjoying a piece of the birthday cake that was presented to Rosenthal at the conclusion of his performance are (from left), Rosina Lhevinne (wearing brooch), Josef Hofmann, Adele Kanner Rosenthal, Moriz Rosenthal, Ernest Schelling, Josef Lhevinne."

Here is a Complete Version (restored) Recorded 7 Years Earlier

Jacob Gimpel
1906-1989
Student of Edward Steuermann
and Alban Berg

Jacob Gimpel Plays Mendelssohn


His specialties were the great romantics. His artistry is evident in the many recordings and movie shorts he made during his Hollywood years in the 1940s. It's his virtuosity we hear in the paws of Tom the cat in the cartoon, Johann Mouse, as well in feature films such as the Ingrid Bergman vehicle, Gaslight. Don't ask me why this film short featuring the music of Mendelssohn has the first Chopin Prelude support the opening credits.
Gimpel was one of my teachers.