EGON PETRI, Musician to the World. Interviews and Commentary - Paperback

by Alfred Kanwischer (Author)

Egon Petri, one of the most admired musicians of his generation, brought the sensibilities of the nineteeth century to his students in the mid-twentieth century. In his youth, his parents' home hosted the likes of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Clara Schumann, and he studied with Ferruccio Busoni and other great musicians of the prewar and interwar periods. As a prolific and magisterial pianist, he performed prodigious programs throughout Europe and Russia, both solo recitals and concerts with the great orchestral conductors of the time, before settling in Oakland, California in the United States. With ongoing interest in Petri's life, artistry, and teaching intensified by a re-release of his 1929-1951 recordings, Alfred Kanwischer returned to transcripts of interviews he had conducted with Petri in the period 1960-1962 to create this engaging narrative, replete with treasured memories and extensive direct quotations revealing Petri's charm, humor, and wisdom. The narrative is divided into chapters focusing on Petri's youth, influences, performance artistry, and teaching, with engaging interludes on conductors and "dream pianos." Fans of classical music will find the world revealed in this book fascinating, while pianists and piano teachers will find it useful and inspiring. A facsmile of a booklet detailing Petri's concert repertoire during the period 1892-1929 is also included.

Author Biography

Alfred Kanwischer knew Egon Petri in the 1950s and early 1960s as his teacher, mentor, and friend. Dr. Kanwischer holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Boston University and is currently Professor Emeritus at San José State University's School of Music in California. He has concertized throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, giving both solo and duo-piano concerts with his wife, Heidi Elfenbein Kanwischer. His book, From Bach's Goldberg to Beethoven's Diabelli, was published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2014.