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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The Lost Tapes – Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 21 & 23
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24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5 (Live)
Rudolf Serkin, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik, Bavarian Radio Chorus
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Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven : Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 "L'Empereur" (Diapason n°560)
Rudolf Serkin / Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy
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Rudolf Serkin plays Beethoven Concertos, Sonatas & Variations
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Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: The Piano Concertos by Rudolf Serkin (Remastered 2022)
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Classical - Lançado por Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording em 16/05/2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: The Cello Sonatas
Mstislav Rostropovich, Rudolf Serkin
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Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 12 & 27 - Béla Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 1
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24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete Works for Cello and Piano
Chamber Music - Lançado por Praga Digitals em 01/05/2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonates pour piano (Waldstein, Pathétique, Clair de lune & Pastorale)
Lili Kraus, Rudolf Serkin, Aline Van Barentzen, Wilhelm Backhaus
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Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
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Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 83
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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 37 & Fantasia in C Minor, Op. 80 "Choral Fantasy"
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 01/01/1964
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: String Quartet No.3 - Robert Schumann: String Quartet No. 1, Piano Quintet
The Budapest String Quartet, Rudolf Serkin
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The Rudolf Serkin Edition
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Mozart: Piano Concertos
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 11/11/1991
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58 & Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 19 (2017 Remastered Version)
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 01/01/1955
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven : Variations Diabelli, Sonate "Appassionata" (Diapason n°597)
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Schubert: Piano Sonata, D. 959; Four Impromptus, D. 935 [Rudolf Serkin - The Art of Interpretation]
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Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15 (2017 Remastered Version)
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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73 "Emperor" (2017 Remastered Version)
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Schubert: Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 959
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Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo