MICHAEL ZADORA (NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK,
USA JUNE 14, 1882 – NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA JUNE 30, 1946)
The American
pianist and composer, Michael (actually: Michal) Zadora [AKA: Michael von
Zadora], was born in New York of Polish parents. He first learnt to play the
piano from his father and then at the age of 17 he enrolled at the Paris
Conservatoire (1899). From there he travelled to Vienna for lessons with
Theodor Leschetizky before continuing his studies with Ferruccio Busoni in
Berlin. One of F. Busoni’s finest pupils, Zadora captured the intellect and
angst of his mentor. Too little is known of Michael Zadora’s life. He taught a
master-class at the Lemberg Conservatory (1911-1912), and also taught at
institutions including the Hochschule für Musik and the Klindworth-Scharwenka
Conservatory in Berlin. But as World War I approached Zadora returned to America
and took a post at the Institute of Musical Art in New York (1913-1914), later
to become the Juilliard School of Music. By 1923 Michael Zadora was back in
Berlin, where at the Beethovensaal he was the first pianist to give an
all-Busoni recital. With Egon Petri he prepared the piano part of the vocal
score of F. Busoni’s opera Doktor Faust and gave two-piano recitals. Zadora
also set up a Busoni Society. In 1924, as F. Busoni lay on his death-bed,
Zadora played a Felix Mendelssohn’s Lied ohne Worte for him. It would appear
that Michael Zadora was not well suited to public performance. In 1938 he
played at London’s Wigmore Hall and received a poor review. He was described as
‘…a follower of Busoni (who) travestied his master’s style’ by playing Liszt’s Piano
Sonata in B minor too fast, without clear articulation or observance of the
composer’s markings of piano or pianissimo’. A second recital given two weeks
later was not reviewed. Michael Zadora composed a few original works (piano
pieces, songs, etc.) in his name and under the pseudonym of Pietro Amadis. On
February 5, 1938 New York’s Broadway saw the opening, and closing, of a musical
play written by August Strindberg with music by Zadora. He transcribed for
piano several organ and violin works by Dietrich Buxtehude and J.S. Bach, in F.
Busoni’s way; he also transcribed five songs by Robert Schumann, as well as
works by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Delibes, Offenbach, Jensen, Henselt and
Schubert. Michael Zadora recorded fairly extensively during the 1920’s and
later. He recorded for Polydor in Germany between 1924 and 1927. A few discs
were made for the German Grammophon Company in the 1930’s as well as some discs
for Ultraphon, Odéon and Vox. In 1940 he made some discs for the Friends of
Recorded Music Society in America. These are important as they contain Zadora
playing F. Busoni’s Sonatinas Nos 3 and 5. He recorded waltzes, études,
préludes and nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin; some of Franz Liszt’s Consolations;
and many encore pieces by Lamare, Stockhoff, Joachim Raff, Sgambati, Scarlatti,
Field, Johannes Brahms, L.v. Beethoven, Hummel, Anton Rubinstein and himself.
He also recorded some J.S. Bach, Prokofiev’s Prelude in C major Op. 12 and
Debussy’s Prélude and Toccata from Pour le Piano. Most of his discs are
impressive, yet he has a tendency to rush in fast music, missing many details.
This is particularly noticeable in the ‘F. Busoni’s Sonatina No. 6 Super Carmen
(Zadora’s most well-known recording) and Debussy Toccata recordings. He had a
wonderful tone which can be heard in his recording of his own arrangement of
Henselt’s Larghetto and La Passion by Lamare. His most impressive disc is of an
arrangement he made of a work by Jensen entitled Whispering of a Gentle Breeze.
Zadora’s playing emphasised speed and his records offer thrilling experiences
when tempi are fast. His aesthetic represents an uncertain departure from F.
Busoni’s neo-classicism and Futurism towards unknown terrain. There is always
the sense of an evolution in progress, as the works’ structures are always
clear and decisive, yet their message being redefined. His playing of F.
Busoni’s Sonatina super Carmen is a great example of F. Busoni’s own style. If
any of his writings or words will ever emerge, one may better understand him
some day.
TRACKLIST
Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue, d, S.903 – Fantasia (Bach) Duo-Art 5598
Ecossaises (Scottish Dances) WoO 86, Eb (Beethoven-Busoni) Duo-Art 5638
Prélude, Aria and Finale: Aria and Finale (Franck) Duo-Art 058
Etude, Op. 10, No. l, C (Chopin) Duo-Art 5521
Etude, Op. 10, No. ll, Eb (Chopin) Duo-Art5523
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