Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin emerged from the environment of post-World War I Austria to become one of the most profound and challenging pianists of the century, leaving a lasting impression on following generations.
Childhood studies in Vienna with Richard Robert for piano, and Joseph Marx and Arnold Schoenberg for composition, led to a 1915 debut performance with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12. After 1920, Serkin was associated with noted violinist Adolf Busch, both as a duo-sonata partner, and with the Busch Chamber Orchestra (and, from 1935, as Busch's son-in-law). An American debut in 1936 with the New York Philharmonic under Toscanini led to Serkin's decision to relocate to the U.S. in 1939. Invited to join the piano faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, he quickly rose to become head of the piano department, and, from 1968, president of the Institute. He devoted his summers to cultivating several generations of young musicians at the Marlboro Festival in Vermont.
Many observers have remarked that Serkin was not a natural pianist. Indeed, he seemed rather to play by force of will alone, and the strength of his musicianship lay more in the deep insight that he brought to the music of the composers he held dearest -- traditional Austrian and German masters -- than in virtuosic pianism. In Beethoven's sonatas, Serkin found particular inspiration. His Beethoven interpretations do not necessarily please the listener in terms of superficial "beauty," but rather convey the unique mixture of logic, violence, and spiritual transcendence that he feels is the essence of Beethoven's work. In the Brahms concerti, Serkin's vision was nothing short of titanic. On off-nights, however, Serkin's lofty, cerebral brand of pianism sometimes failed him, and the austere, "square" approach to phrasing that makes his playing so immediately recognizable sometimes sounded unnecessarily harsh.
Rudolf Serkin's discography is impressive, spanning most of the general repertory from Bach to the early/mid-20th century, and including such relative novelties as the F minor Concerto of Max Reger, a composer Serkin had an abiding affinity for. His work at the Curtis Institute, and, during the summers, at the Marlboro Festival, made him one of the most influential American teachers of the post-World War II era. Serkin's son Peter was also a pianist of considerable renown.
© Blair Johnstone /TiVo
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Masterpieces for Piano Left Hand [Ravel, Scriabin, Prokofiev...]
Samson François, Andrei Gavrilov, Rudolf Serkin, Gabor Gabos, Julius Katchen
Classical - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 Sep 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3
Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rudolf Serkin
Classical - Released by Telarc on 22 Feb 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 54 (2017 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 25 Aug 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonatas Nos. 14 "Moonlight" & 26 "Les Adieux" & 23 "Appassionata" (2017 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 1951
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Trio pour piano, violon et violoncelle No. 2 (Mono Version)
Rudolf Serkin, Adolf Busch, Hermann Busch
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21, Op. 53 "Waldstein" & Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109 (2017 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 1953
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1, 5 & 10
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 4 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14 & 23
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Liebeslieder-Walzer, Op. 52 - Schubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D 965
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 22 Feb 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rudolf Serkin Live, Vol. 1
Rudolf Serkin, George Szell, Leonard Bernstein, The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Lorne Munroe
Classical - Released by DOREMI on 15 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No. 8 "Pathétique"; No. 14 "Moonlight"; No. 23 "Appassionata" & No. 30 [Rudolf Serkin - The Art of Interpretation]
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas - The Unreleased Studio Recordings of Rudolf Serkin
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 26 Jul 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Casals - Serkin: Beethoven - Sonatas Completas para Cello y Piano
Classical - Released by Classic Themes on 13 Jun 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reger: Variations & Fugue - Haydn: Sonata No. 60 - Bach: 14 Canons
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano & Winds, K. 452; Beethoven: Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano & Winds, Op. 16 [Rudolf Serkin - The Art of Interpretrat
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Moments musiceaux & Sonata, D 840 "Reliquie"
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1 Jan 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rudolf Serkin: The Legendary Concerto Recordings 1950-1956
Alexander Schneider, Eugene Ormandy, George Szell, Rudolf Serkin, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 26 Jul 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No. 29, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier" and No. 31, Op. 110 [Rudolf Serkin - The Art of Interpretation]
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 22 Feb 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MOZART: PIANO CONCERTO No. 25; PIANO CONCERTO No. 16; PIANO SONATA No. 11
Classical - Released by Nar Classical on 1 Jun 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo