Menahem Pressler
The name Menahem Pressler was, to many, almost synonymous with the Beaux Arts Trio, the group he founded in 1955, the same year the busy pianist joined the faculty at Indiana University. Incredibly, he remained active in both roles for 50-plus years. The Beaux Arts Trio was often cited as one of the world's finest piano trios, and most of the credit for its success must go to Pressler, who was, not surprisingly, the only enduring member down through the years. The group, in residence at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., concertized widely throughout the world, typically giving around 100 concerts a year. Pressler also made a name for himself as a soloist and recitalist, as well as a freelance pianist working with many other artists and groups, such as the Juilliard, Emerson, and Guarneri string quartets. He made more than 60 recordings with the Trio and over 30 as a soloist, most appearing on such major labels as Philips and Deutsche Grammophon, among others. Several composers, including György Kurtág, wrote works expressly for Pressler.
Pressler was born in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 16, 1923. A talented pianist in his teens, he was forced to flee Germany in 1938. His family settled in Israel, where Pressler received most of his advanced musical education. In 1946, Pressler won the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco. Shortly afterward, he appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.
Though his career as a piano soloist and recitalist was successful, Pressler became increasingly involved in chamber music and founded the Beaux Arts Trio in 1955. The other original members were violinist Daniel Guilet and cellist Bernard Greenhouse. Their debut was at the 1955 Berkshire Music Festival. Guilet was replaced in 1969 by Isidore Cohen and Greenhouse in 1987 by Peter Wiley. Several other changes came shortly afterward, with Ida Kavafian and Young Uck Kim holding relatively brief tenures. The Trio -- comprised of Pressler, violinist Daniel Hope, and cellist Antonio Meneses at the time -- took its last bows in 2008.
Pressler continued to perform and record with other musicians and as a soloist for another ten years. Along with teaching since 1955 at Indiana University (Jacobs School of Music), Pressler regularly served as a jury member at the Queen Elisabeth, Van Cliburn, and other competitions, and in 2019, the famed Tchaikovsky Competition. His later recordings include Mozart piano concertos with the Magdeburgische Philharmonie from 2016 and a disc of Debussy solo piano pieces released in 2018. Pressler was 99 years old when he died on May 6, 2023.
© Robert Cummings & Patsy Morita /TiVo
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Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Clair de lune
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Mar 9, 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart : Piano Sonatas K. 333, 457 - Fantasia K. 475
Classical - Released by La Dolce Volta on Sep 8, 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Sonatas No. 11, 17 & 18
Solo Piano - Released by La Dolce Volta on Mar 23, 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann : Piano Quintet, Op. 44 - Piano Quartet, Op. 47
Emerson String Quartet, Menahem Pressler
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1995
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Quintet, Op. 34 - R. Schumann: String Quartet, Op. 41 No. 1
Pacifica Quartet, Menahem Pressler
Chamber Music - Released by Cedille on Mar 10, 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Menahem Pressler, Vol. 1: Mendelssohn
Classical - Released by DOREMI on Nov 10, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert, Mozart & Beethoven: Vienna Tales
Classical - Released by La Dolce Volta on Oct 28, 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Schubert & Chopin: Piano Works
Classical - Released by BIS on Sep 30, 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The 11 Trios for Piano, Violin & Cello by the Beaux Arts Trio (2023 Remastered, Studio 1965)
Beaux Arts Trio, Menahem Pressler, Daniel Guilet
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on Jan 3, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorák: Piano Quintet, Op. 81 / Piano Quartet, Op. 87
Emerson String Quartet, Menahem Pressler
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 27 (Live)
Menahem Pressler, Magdeburg Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Cavi-Music on Oct 6, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In Memoriam: Menahem Pressler
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on May 10, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, Schubert, Brahms (Live in Tokyo & Kamakura / 2014)
Sayaka Shoji, Menahem Pressler
Classical - Released by Universal Music LLC on Oct 21, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Manahem Pressler, Vol. 3: Mozart, Beethoven
Classical - Released by DOREMI on Sep 20, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Faure - Franck
Menahem Pressler, Shauna Rolston
Classical - Released by Summit Records on Apr 1, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clair de lune
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Mar 9, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Rêverie, L. 68
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Feb 9, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Menahem Pressler Performs Mozart
Classical - Released by La Dolce Volta on Sep 8, 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Grandes Épocas De La Música Clásica, Chopin - Op. 11, Op. 14 & Op. 22
Classical - Released by SendClassic on Mar 24, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert, Mozart & Beethoven: Vienna Tales
Classical - Released by La Dolce Volta on Oct 28, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grandes Epocas de la Música, Mendelsoohn, Sinfonia N.º 9
Jerusalem Chamber Orchestra "Kol Israel", Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Menahem Pressler
Classical - Released by JamadaClassics on Nov 23, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo