Alicia de Larrocha
Alicia de Larrocha | |
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Born | Alicia de Larrocha y de la Calle 23 May 1923 Barcelona, Spain |
Died | 25 September 2009 (aged 86) Barcelona, Spain |
Occupations |
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Alicia de Larrocha y de la Calle (23 May 1923 – 25 September 2009) was a Spanish pianist and composer. She was considered one of the great piano legends of the 20th century.[1] Reuters called her "the greatest Spanish pianist in history",[2] Time "one of the world's most outstanding pianists",[3] and The Guardian "the leading Spanish pianist of her time".[4]
She won four
Life and career
Alicia de Larrocha was born in
De Larrocha, writes Jed Distler, "started composing at age seven and continued on and off until her 30th year, with a prolific spurt in her late teens," and while she never performed her works in public, she gave her family the choice of making them available after her death, which they have done.[9]
De Larrocha made numerous recordings of the solo piano repertoire and in particular the works of composers of her native Spain. She is best known for her recordings of the music of
De Larrocha spoke in a 1978 interview with Contemporary Keyboard,
I don't believe there is a 'best' of anything in this life. I would say, though, that Granados was one of the great Spanish composers, and that, in my opinion, he was the only one that captured the real Romantic flavor. His style was aristocratic, elegant and poetic – completely different from Falla and Albéniz. To me, each of them is a different world. Falla was the one who really captured the spirit of the Gypsy music. And Albéniz, I think was more international than the others. Even though his music is Spanish in flavor, his style is completely Impressionistic.[10]
Less than five feet tall and with small hands for a pianist,
"She made her first recordings, of Chopin, at age nine, her feet not yet able to reach the pedals"[12] and was considered a great interpreter of Chopin.
As she grew older she began to play a different style of music; more
Alicia de Larrocha died on 25 September 2009 in Quiron Hospital, Barcelona, aged 86. She had been in declining health since breaking her hip five years previously.[10] Her husband, the pianist Juan Torra, with whom she had two children, had died in 1982.[3][4]
List of awards and nominations
De Larrocha won several individual awards throughout her lifetime. Her extended discography has been recognized with fourteen Grammy nominations (1967, 1971, 1974, 1975 (x2), 1977 (x2), 1982 (x2), 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992), of which she won four. She received honorary degrees from universities in Michigan, Middlebury College, Vermont, and Carnegie Mellon.[3][4]
A crater on the planet Mercury has been named in her honor.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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1960 | Albéniz: Iberia – Books II & III (Erato Records) | Grand Prix du Disque |
Won |
1968 | Granados: Goyescas – Book II, Escenas románticas (Erato Records) | Grand Prix du Disque | Won |
1974 | Albéniz: Iberia (Decca) | Grand Prix du Disque | Won |
1991 | Granados: Goyescas, Allegro De Concierto, Danza Lenta (RCA) | Grand Prix du Disque | Won |
1968 | ? | Edison Award | Won |
1978 | ? | Edison Award | Won |
1989 | Albéniz: Iberia (Decca) | Edison Award | Won |
1974 | Albéniz: Iberia (Decca) | Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (without orchestra) | Won |
1975 | Ravel: Concerto For Piano in G ; Faure: Fantaisie for piano and orchestra (Decca) |
Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with orchestra) | Won |
1988 | Albéniz: Iberia, Navarra, Suite Española (Decca) |
Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (without orchestra) | Won |
1991 | Granados: Goyescas, Allegro De Conicerto, Danza Lenta (RCA) | Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (without orchestra) | Won |
1971 | ? | Records of the Year (London) | Won |
1974 | ? | Records of the Year (London) | Won |
1979 | Granados: Goyescas (Decca) | Deutsche Schallplattenpreis (Germany) | Won |
1980 | Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor (Decca) |
Franz Liszt Award (Budapest) | Won |
1994 | Manuel de Falla and Xavier Montsalvatge: Piano Works (RCA) | Japan Record Academy Award | Won |
1978 | — | Musician of the Year - Musical America (magazine) | |
1988 | — | Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres | |
1994 | — | Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts |
|
1995 | — | UNESCO Prize | |
1961 | — | Paderewski Memorial Medal (London) | |
1985 | — | National Music Award – Interpretation | |
2000 | — | Premios Ondas for the most notable work in classical music | |
1982 | — | Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts |
References
- ISBN 978 2 3505 5192 0.
- ^ a b c Webb, Jason (26 September 2009). "Renowned Spanish pianist de Larrocha dead at 86". Reuters. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Alicia de Larrocha, Renowned Pianist, Dies at 86". Time. 26 September 2009. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Adrian Jack (26 September 2009). "Alicia de Larrocha obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ a b c "Pianist Alicia de Larrocha dies". CBC News. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ Roldós, Merce. "Fallecela pedagogamusical Merce Roldós" (PDF). Lavanguardia: 62.
- ^ [1] Details of her 4 tours to Southern Africa
- ^ The Tech, 19-Nov-1968, Steven Shladover, "Alicia de Larrocha triumphs", Cambridge
- ^ Jed Distler, "Alicia de Larrocha, Composer," Classics Today, 2016, URL=https://www.classicstoday.com/review/alicia-de-larrocha-composer/
- ^ a b Allan Kozinn (26 September 2009). "Alicia de Larrocha, Pianist, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Alicia de Larrocha", Telegraph (Sep 2009)
- ^ "Alicia de Larrocha – Steinway & Sons". steinway.com. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
External links
- Interview from The New York Times
- iclassics
- Barnes and Noble
- Alicia de Larrocha, The Daily Telegraph obituary
- Renowned pianist de Larrocha dies – BBC News obituary
- Alicia de Larrocha (1923–2009) – BBC Music Magazine
- Alicia de Larrocha: pianist – The Times (UK)
- Alicia de Larrocha, Shy Virtuoso – The Wall Street Journal
- Some photos, programs and introductions on her four highly successful Southern Africa tours, 1965-75
- Collection of unpublished magnetic tapes of her live performances
- Library of Catalonia
- The Alicia de Larrocha Archives