Friedman, Ignaz (Ignacy)
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 4:01 pm
Thankfully this was not as onerous as I had first thought, since a fair number of works by Friedman are available through IMSLP in complete and clean copies, and some were kindly posted previously by Alfor. What I have tried to do is fill some of those gaps.
Alfred, I hope you do not mind, but have re-posted your scores in case some people missed them the first time around.
For me this completes my project on the three titans of Polish pianists / composers: Grünfeld, Hofmann and now Friedman. As with the previous two postings, there are still many gaps in Friedman’s works list…………hopefully one day we shall be able to throw some light on those gaps in our knowledge.
Enjoy !
Malcolm
________________________________________
Ignaz Friedman (also spelled Ignace or Ignacy - his full name was Solomon Isaac Freudman). Born 1882 in Podgorze near Krakow: died 1948 in Sydney, Australia. Polish pianist and composer – considered by many colleagues as one of the supreme pianists of the period.
Friedman studied with Riemann in Leipzig and Leschetizky in Vienna, plus attended masterclasses by Busoni. Friedman lived in Berlin until 1914 and settled in Copenhagen in 1920.
His official début in Vienna in 1904 featured a program of three piano concertos, rivalling the similar programs of established titans like Busoni and Godowsky and he remained one of the world’s top pianists throughout his career. His style was quiet and effortless, imbued with a sense of rhythm and colour, grounded in a sovereign technique; he was a noted interpreter of Chopin in particular. Despite having given 2,800 concerts during his career, he sometimes received lukewarm reviews in America in later years, as younger critics were becoming accustomed to modernist playing which outstripped romantic interpretations. Rachmaninov admired Friedman's playing but commented that he "played too much to the gallery".
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Friedman was in Europe, but managed to escape when a concert tour in Australia was offered at the last moment. He settled in Sydney and remained there until his death in 1948 (ironically on Australia Day). His last concert was in Sydney in July 1943 after which, neuritis in his left hand forced him to retire from the concert platform.
He composed more than 90 works, mainly for the piano, as well as pieces for cello and a piano quintet, plus many songs. Sadly his compositions have not found a niche in the standard repertory. He also made arrangements of many works, ranging across the whole spectrum of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music. He edited an almost complete edition of the piano works of Chopin and also produced editions of Schumann and Liszt.
Friedman also taught several important pianists, including Gurt, Tiegerman and Hungerford.
The Sydney Conservatoire award an annual Ignaz Freidman Prize for composition.
Alfred, I hope you do not mind, but have re-posted your scores in case some people missed them the first time around.
For me this completes my project on the three titans of Polish pianists / composers: Grünfeld, Hofmann and now Friedman. As with the previous two postings, there are still many gaps in Friedman’s works list…………hopefully one day we shall be able to throw some light on those gaps in our knowledge.
Enjoy !
Malcolm
________________________________________
Ignaz Friedman (also spelled Ignace or Ignacy - his full name was Solomon Isaac Freudman). Born 1882 in Podgorze near Krakow: died 1948 in Sydney, Australia. Polish pianist and composer – considered by many colleagues as one of the supreme pianists of the period.
Friedman studied with Riemann in Leipzig and Leschetizky in Vienna, plus attended masterclasses by Busoni. Friedman lived in Berlin until 1914 and settled in Copenhagen in 1920.
His official début in Vienna in 1904 featured a program of three piano concertos, rivalling the similar programs of established titans like Busoni and Godowsky and he remained one of the world’s top pianists throughout his career. His style was quiet and effortless, imbued with a sense of rhythm and colour, grounded in a sovereign technique; he was a noted interpreter of Chopin in particular. Despite having given 2,800 concerts during his career, he sometimes received lukewarm reviews in America in later years, as younger critics were becoming accustomed to modernist playing which outstripped romantic interpretations. Rachmaninov admired Friedman's playing but commented that he "played too much to the gallery".
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Friedman was in Europe, but managed to escape when a concert tour in Australia was offered at the last moment. He settled in Sydney and remained there until his death in 1948 (ironically on Australia Day). His last concert was in Sydney in July 1943 after which, neuritis in his left hand forced him to retire from the concert platform.
He composed more than 90 works, mainly for the piano, as well as pieces for cello and a piano quintet, plus many songs. Sadly his compositions have not found a niche in the standard repertory. He also made arrangements of many works, ranging across the whole spectrum of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music. He edited an almost complete edition of the piano works of Chopin and also produced editions of Schumann and Liszt.
Friedman also taught several important pianists, including Gurt, Tiegerman and Hungerford.
The Sydney Conservatoire award an annual Ignaz Freidman Prize for composition.