SHURA CHERKASSKY (ODESSA, OCTOBER 7,
1909 – LONDON, DECEMBER 17, 1995)
The
remarkable Russian-born American pianist, Shura (Alexander Isaakovich)
Cherkassky, began piano training with his mother. While still a child, he was
taken by his family to the USA, where he continued his studies with Josef
Hofmann at the newly founded Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. After
making his debut in Baltimore at the age of 11, he appeared as a soloist with
Walter Damrosch and the New York Symphony Orchestra and performed at the White
House in Washington, D.C. in 1923. Shura Cherkassky made his first tour abroad
in 1928 with visits to Australia and South Africa. Although he also made a few
recordings during the 1920’s and 1930’s, his career did not really take off
until after World War II. By that time, the pianists, like Hofmann, who had
learned from the 19th century greats Liszt, Moszkowski, and others, were no
longer around. Following a major tour of Europe in 1946, he moved to London.
Cherkassky was acknowledged as the heir of that particular school of
performance, and just as Franz Liszt and the others had had their own
idiosyncrasies, he had his own individual style that seemed to give fresh
meaning to everything he played. He toured almost continually around the world
during his career, making some time nearly every year to take a holiday in
Thailand. He made a successful debut in Russia in 1976 and returned for
subsequent tours in 1977 and 1987. He gave many recitals at New York’s 92nd
Street Y, which honoured him in 1986 with the establishment of the Shura
Cherkassky Recital Award to be given annually to a gifted young pianist. On
December 2, 1991, he celebrated his 80th year with a recital at New York’s
Carnegie Hall in a program of works by Robert Schumann, Frédéric Chopin,
Bach-Busoni, Tchaikovsky-Pabst, Josef Hofmann, and well-received encores. As
one of the last representatives of the hallowed Romantic school of piano
virtuosity, Shura Cherkassky regaled audiences with a bravura technique and
singing tone in the grand Russian manner. He combined Romantic sensitivity of
touch with the power of a modern player, and he traveled easily between works
by the Romantics and those by Charles Ives, Paul Hindemith, Pierre Boulez, and
Ligeti. This blend of talents served him well, particularly in works such as
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
TRACKLIST
6691 DUO-ART
MOSZKOWSKI – Liebeswalzer (Love-Waltz), Op. 57, No. 5
6692 DUO-ART
CHERKASSKY – Prélude pathétique
6713 DUO-ART
RACHMANINOFF – Polka de W. R. (Wassily Rachmaninoff)
7130 DUO-ART
VERDI-LISZT – Paraphrase on Arias from the Opera “Rigoletto”
7154 DUO-ART
TCHAIKOVSKY – Chant sans paroles (Without Words), Op. 2, No. 3
7200 DUO-ART
SCHUMANN-LISZT – Frühlingsnacht (Spring Night)
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