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Clifford Curzon

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Clifford Curzon
CBE
Clifford Curzon in 1960
Born(1907-05-18)May 18, 1907
Islington,London,England
DiedSeptember 1, 1982(1982-09-01)(aged 75)
London,England[1]
Alma materRoyal Academy of Music
Occupation(s)Composer, pianist
SpouseLucille Wallace(m. 1931-1977; her death)

Sir Clifford Michael CurzonCBE(néSiegenberg;18 May 1907 – 1 September 1982) was an English classical pianist.

Curzon studied at theRoyal Academy of Musicin London, and subsequently withArtur Schnabelin Berlin andWanda LandowskaandNadia Boulangerin Paris. In his early career he was known for his performances ofRomanticand virtuoso music, and for championing modern works. Later he concentrated on composers such asMozart,Beethoven,SchubertandBrahms.He played regularly in continental Europe and North America, making tours in the 1930s and for most of his post-war career.

Although signed to a recording company,Decca,for most of his career, Curzon was not at ease in the studio, and vetoed the release of many of his recordings, some of which were published after his death.

He was married to British-based American harpsichordistLady Lucille Wallace Curzon.

Life and career

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Early years

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Curzon was born inIslington,London, the younger son and second of three children of Michael Siegenberg, a Jewish antiques dealer, and his wife Constance Mary,néeYoung.[2]The family name was changed to Curzon in August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of theFirst World War.[3]The household was musical: Mary Curzon was a talented amateur singer, Michael's sister was a professional singer, and his uncle, the composerAlbert Ketèlbeywas a frequent visitor, and his performances of his music on the family piano were the young Curzon's earliest abiding musical memories.[2]The boy's first musical studies were as a violinist, but he soon concentrated on the piano.[2]

In 1919 Curzon entered theRoyal Academy of Music(RAM) in London, and two years later was admitted to the senior school of the academy at the unusually early age of fourteen. He studied with Charles Reddie, whose own teacher,Bernhard Stavenhagen,had been a pupil ofFranz Liszt.Curzon won many prizes, including the RAM's MacFarren Gold Medal, and then continued his studies withKatharine Goodson,who had been a pupil ofTheodor Leschetizky.[2]Sir Henry Woodwas the conductor of the academy's student orchestra, and in 1924 he gave Curzon his firstPromenade Concertengagement, as one of the co-soloists in Bach'sTriple Keyboard Concerto in D minor,along with two other students.[n 1]At around the time Curzon was graduating, his father became seriously ill, affecting the family business; money became short, and in 1926 Curzon, though not drawn to teaching, accepted a salaried post as a sub-professor at the RAM.[5]One of his pupils at this period wasConstance Warren,two years his senior.[6]He continued to pursue a career as a soloist. A family friend introduced him toSir Thomas Beecham,who was sufficiently impressed by Curzon's playing to engage him as soloist inMozart'sCoronationConcertoat theQueen's Hall.[7]

In 1928 Curzon temporarily left the RAM. A legacy from the mother of a colleague enabled him to move to Berlin for two years, to study withArtur Schnabel.[5][8]He then studied withWanda LandowskaandNadia Boulangerin Paris. Curzon believed that his own pianistic style owed much to the examples of Schnabel and Landowska; although, he said, they disliked each other and were diametrically opposite in their musical aesthetics, he learned about phrasing from Schnabel and about precision of technique from Landowska.[7]

While still in Paris, Curzon married the AmericanharpsichordistLucille Wallace(1898–1977).[9]They had no offspring, but they adopted the two sons of the sopranoMaria Cebotariafter she and her husband died young.[9]

Soloist

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Curzon built a successful career as a soloist, enabling him to resign from the RAM in 1932.[5]In addition to frequent concerts in Britain, he toured Europe in 1936 and 1938 under the auspices of theBritish Council,[10]and made his US debut in 1939, returning regularly for many years after the Second World War.[8]In his early years as a star soloist Curzon played a more Romantic and virtuosic repertoire than that associated with him in his later career. Established pianists of the time generally ignored concertante works by such composers asIgnacy Jan Paderewski,Vincent d'IndyandFrederick Delius,with which Curzon made a mark.[2][11]He was also known for his espousal of new music, giving premieres and early performances of works byGermaine Tailleferre,John Ireland,Alan RawsthorneandLennox Berkeleyamong others. During the war, shortage of time prevented him from undertaking the British premiere ofAram Khachaturian'sPiano Concerto,[12]but his friendship withBenjamin Brittenled to many joint concerts by the two musicians.[2]

Curzon was a highly self-critical performer, and although he signed for theDeccarecording company in 1937 and remained with them throughout his career, he was rarely at ease in the studios, and frequently refused to allow the release of recordings in which he felt dissatisfied with his performance.[13][n 2]

After the war Curzon began to limit his appearances in the concert hall and recording studios, devoting himself to extensive periods of private study.[15]Throughout his career he maintained a rigorous regime of practice, playing for several hours every day.[11]

Together withJoseph Szigeti,William PrimroseandPierre FournierCurzon formed the Edinburgh Festival Piano Quartet in 1952. InThe Manchester Guardian,Neville Carduswrote, "They do not quite make an easeful ensemble. The ear is constantly attracted by individual touches of fine musical art, but we receive a sense that each master is playing with his eye on the other, so as not to overstep the bounds of modesty."[16]As a soloist Curzon made American tours in the years between 1948 and 1970, played at European music festivals and toured the continent with theBBC Symphony OrchestraandSir Malcolm Sargentin 1954.[10]

From the post-war years onwards, Curzon increasingly concentrated on less virtuoso repertoire than hitherto. He became celebrated for his performances of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. Max Loppert, his biographer inGrove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,wrote that in the works of these Austro-German classical masters "he was unequalled for sensitivity and directness of manner, beauty of tone and an inner stillness. In such works as Mozart's Concerto in B♭K595, his unique combination of nervous energy and Olympian calm earned him a reputation as a supreme Mozartian. "Another biographer of Curzon,William Mann,wrote:

The virtues which he applied to Mozart's piano concertos—he regarded them as the most perfect music ever composed—included line-drawing that colours itself and a control of structure through harmony and feeling for ensemble, which was overwhelming when the conductor was sympathetic. He achieved them with Britten often, and also withDaniel BarenboimandSir Colin Davis[2]

Curzon suffered throughout his career from stage fright and, unlike most star pianists, he played not from memory at concerts but with the score on his music stand.[2]In private life, Mann records, Curzon was "an ideal host, a lively raconteur, a keen connoisseur of painting and literature, and appreciative of other countries and their cultures, food, drink and language."[2]

Curzon died in September 1982, aged 75. He is buried next to his wife in the churchyard of St Patrick's,Patterdale,near their holiday home in theLake District.On his gravestone are inscribed the opening words ofFranz von Schober's poem "An die Musik": "Du holde Kunst" (O fairest art), familiar from Schubert's setting.[17]

Honours

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In 1958 Curzon was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire(CBE), and in 1977 he wasknighted.[10]He was elected a Fellow of the RAM in 1939,[8]and in 1980 he received theRoyal Philharmonic Society's gold medal. He was an honorary fellow ofSt Peter's College, Oxford(1981) and was awarded honorary doctorates by the universities ofLeeds(1970) andSussex(1973).[10]

Notes, references and sources

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Notes

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  1. ^The Oxford Dictionary of National Biographygives the year as 1922, and theOxford Dictionary of Musicgives it as 1923. The BBC's Prom archive shows the date of the concert as 3 October 1924.[4]
  2. ^Among recordings that Curzon barred from release were a 1944Tchaikovsky First Piano Concertoconducted byMalcolm Sargent,a 1947Wanderer Fantasy,two Mozart concertos conducted by Britten, a 1961Liszt B minor Sonata,and three different recordings of Mozart'sPiano Concerto No.27 in B flat K595made in 1964, 1967 and 1970. Some of these recordings were released after his death.[14]

References

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  1. ^Waggoner, Walter H. (4 September 1982)."Sir Clifford Curzon is Dead at 75; One of the World's Leading Pianists".The New York Times.
  2. ^abcdefghiMann, William."Curzon, Sir Clifford Michael (1907–1982)",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press, 2011, retrieved 17 December 2015(subscription orUK public library membershiprequired)
  3. ^Notice,The London Gazette,14 August 1914, p. 6434
  4. ^"Prom 48",Proms, BBC, retrieved 17 December 2015
  5. ^abcBlyth, Alan."Clifford Curzon",The Gramophone,March 1971, p. 1764
  6. ^John France. 'Constance Warren and her Heather Hill for string orchestra', atMusicWeb International(2022)
  7. ^abDe Jongh, Nicholas. "Clifford Curzon, Britain's greatest pianist",The Guardian,26 May 1976, p. 12
  8. ^abcLoppert Max."Curzon, Sir Clifford",Grove Music Online,Oxford University Press, retrieved 17 December 2015(subscription required)
  9. ^ab"Lucille Wallace",The Times,23 March 1977. p. 18
  10. ^abcd"Curzon, Sir Clifford (Michael),Who Was Who,Oxford University Press, 2014 retrieved 17 December 2015(subscription required)
  11. ^abSummers, Jonathan."Clifford Curzon",A–Z of Pianists, Naxos, retrieved 17 December 2015
  12. ^Notes to Ivory Classics CD 64405-70906Archived14 February 2019 at theWayback Machine(1999), OCLC 43556430
  13. ^Culshaw, p. 172
  14. ^Stuart, Philip.Decca Classical, 1929–2009,Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music, retrieved 18 December 2015
  15. ^"Sir Clifford Curzon",The Times,3 September 1982, p. 12
  16. ^Cardus, Neville. "Limitations of the festival atmosphere",The Manchester Guardian,3 September 1952, p. 5
  17. ^"The gravestone of the concert pianist, Sir Clifford Michael Curzon",Alamy, retrieved 17 December 2015

Sources

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