November 13, 2017.Couperin and Cziffra.During the two weeks that we’ve beenpreoccupied with one photograph, we missed several anniversaries that are clearly worth mentioning. was born on November 10th of 1668 (we’ve written about him a number of times, for example here and here).One of the greatest French composers of the Baroque era, he was especially famous for his harpsichord music.Since the advent of the modern piano, his works are as often performed on this instrument as on the “clavecin,” for which these works were originally written.Here, for example, is Les Barricades Mystérieuses, the title as mysterious as are the barricades in question.It’s the fifth piece in Couperin’s "Ordre 6ème de clavecin."It’s performed by György Cziffra, whose birthday was last week.Cziffra, a piano virtuoso with an unusual biography, was born on November 5th of 1921 into a family of a poor gipsy cabaret performer.His father, a cimbalom player, lived in Paris in the 1910s but was expelled from France as a citizen of an enemy state.György started playing piano at a very early age, imitating his older sister.At the age of five he was already earning money in bars and circuses, playing piano improvisations on melodies suggested by customers.At the age of nine he entered the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, becoming their youngest student ever. One of his teachers was the composer Ernst von Dohnányi.
At the age of 12 György was performing across Hungary, and at 16 went on a tour of the Netherlands and Scandinavia.In 1942 Cziffra was conscripted, as Hungary was fighting on Nazi Germany’s side in WWII.He was captured by the Soviet partisans and imprisoned till after the war.He returned to Budapest in 1947 and, penniless, had to earn money playing piano in bars and clubs.In 1950 he attempted to escape communist Hungary but was captured and imprisoned again.His guards, knowing that he was a pianist, beat his hands and wrists.He was released in 1953.The physical recovery was slow (for the rest of his life he performed with a leather band on his wrist to support ligaments damaged in prison), but two years later he was in good enough form to win the 1955 Franz List competition in Budapest.In 1956, during the Hungarian Uprising, Cziffra escaped to Vienna, where he gave a well-received recital later that year, and then moved to Paris.Cziffra played across Europe and in the US.In 1977 he set up a Cziffra Foundation in Senlis, France, in support of young musicians.Cziffra, with his tremendous technical skills, was acknowledged as a great interpreter of the works of Liszt.Here’s another piece by Couperin, L'Anguille (The eel).And hereis Liszt’sTarantella, from Venezia e Napoli section of Années de pèlerinage.Cziffra, who by the end of his life was suffering of lung cancer, died of a heart attack in Longpont-sur-Orge, outside of Paris, on January 15th of 1994.
A note: another wonderful pianist, the French-born German, Walter Gieseking, was also born on November 5th but 26 years earlier, in 1895.
Couperin and Cziffra, 2017
November 13, 2017. Couperin and Cziffra. During the two weeks that we’ve beenpreoccupied with one photograph, we missed several anniversaries that are clearly worth mentioning.
was born on November 10th of 1668 (we’ve written about him a number of times, for example here and here). One of the greatest French composers of the Baroque era, he was especially famous for his harpsichord music. Since the advent of the modern piano, his works are as often performed on this instrument as on the “clavecin,” for which these works were originally written. Here, for example, is Les Barricades Mystérieuses, the title as mysterious as are the barricades in question. It’s the fifth piece in Couperin’s "Ordre 6ème de clavecin." It’s performed by György Cziffra, whose birthday was last week. Cziffra, a piano virtuoso with an unusual biography, was born on November 5th of 1921 into a family of a poor gipsy cabaret performer. His father, a cimbalom player, lived in Paris in the 1910s but was expelled from France as a citizen of an enemy state. György started playing piano at a very early age, imitating his older sister. At the age of five he was already earning money in bars and circuses, playing piano improvisations on melodies suggested by customers. At the age of nine he entered the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, becoming their youngest student ever. One of his teachers was the composer Ernst von Dohnányi.
At the age of 12 György was performing across Hungary, and at 16 went on a tour of the Netherlands and Scandinavia. In 1942 Cziffra was conscripted, as Hungary was fighting on Nazi Germany’s side in WWII. He was captured by the Soviet partisans and imprisoned till after the war. He returned to Budapest in 1947 and, penniless, had to earn money playing piano in bars and clubs.
In 1950 he attempted to escape communist Hungary but was captured and imprisoned again. His guards, knowing that he was a pianist, beat his hands and wrists. He was released in 1953. The physical recovery was slow (for the rest of his life he performed with a leather band on his wrist to support ligaments damaged in prison), but two years later he was in good enough form to win the 1955 Franz List competition in Budapest. In 1956, during the Hungarian Uprising, Cziffra escaped to Vienna, where he gave a well-received recital later that year, and then moved to Paris. Cziffra played across Europe and in the US. In 1977 he set up a Cziffra Foundation in Senlis, France, in support of young musicians. Cziffra, with his tremendous technical skills, was acknowledged as a great interpreter of the works of Liszt. Here’s another piece by Couperin, L'Anguille (The eel). And here is Liszt’s Tarantella, from Venezia e Napoli section of Années de pèlerinage. Cziffra, who by the end of his life was suffering of lung cancer, died of a heart attack in Longpont-sur-Orge, outside of Paris, on January 15th of 1994.
A note: another wonderful pianist, the French-born German, Walter Gieseking, was also born on November 5th but 26 years earlier, in 1895.