Scott Fogelsong highlights some of his favorite 19th-century pianists with priceless recordings of their inimitable art.
"Elder Pianists"
They’re our direct connection to the 19th century, pianists for whom Romanticism was not in the past tense, and who left us priceless recordings of their inimitable art. The technology may have been primitive, but their pianism was not.
The Elder Pianists start with Beethoven, who taught Carl Czerny, who taught both Franz Liszt and Theodor Leschetizsky, and those two taught just about everybody. Fortunately, some of those folks left us recordings. In this Piano Talk, Scott Foglesong discusses these great artists, punctuated by historical recordings from the pianists Leschetizskians Ignaz Friedman, Benno Moiseiwitsch, and Lisztian Moriz Rosenthal. Also included is a giant who didn’t study with either: Ferruccio Busoni. Finally, Scott wraps up the talk, spending a few moments with Francis Planté, who was such an Elder Pianist that he actually remembered hearing Chopin play.
Premieres Friday, July 30, 2021, at 5 p.m. on the Ross McKee YouTube channel.