Peter Serkin
Peter Serkin | |
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Born | Peter Adolf Serkin July 24, 1947 New York City, U.S. |
Died | February 1, 2020 Red Hook, New York, U.S. | (aged 72)
Education | Curtis Institute of Music |
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Spouses |
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Children | 5 |
Parents |
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Awards | Grammy Award |
Peter Adolf Serkin (July 24, 1947 – February 1, 2020) was an American classical pianist. He won the Grammy Award for Most Promising New Classical Recording Artist in 1966, and he performed globally, known for not only "technically pristine" playing but also a "commitment to contemporary music".[1] He taught at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, Yale University, and Bard College.
Early life
Serkin was born on July 24, 1947, in Manhattan.[1] He was the son of Irene Busch Serkin and pianist Rudolf Serkin, grandson of the influential violinist Adolf Busch,[1] and great-nephew of conductor Fritz Busch. Peter was given the middle name Adolf in honor of his grandfather.[1][2] He spent much of his childhood on his parents' farm in Guilford, Vermont.[1]
In 1958, at age 11, Serkin began studying at the Curtis Institute of Music,[1][3] where his teachers included the Polish pianist Mieczysław Horszowski, the American virtuoso Lee Luvisi, as well as his own father. He graduated in 1964 at age 16.[4] He also studied with Ernst Oster, flutist Marcel Moyse, and Karl Ulrich Schnabel.[5]
Career
External audio | |
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You may listen to Peter Serkin conducting the Mieczyslaw Horszowski and the Marlboro Festival Orchestra in: Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in C major For Three Pianos, BWV 1064 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Concerto No. 10 in E flat major, K. 365 For Two Pianos in 1966 Here on Archive.org |
Serkin's concert career began in 1958,
In 1968, shortly after marrying and becoming a father, Serkin decided to stop playing music altogether.[1] In the winter of 1971, he, his wife, and baby daughter Karina moved to a small rural town in Mexico. About eight months later, on a Sunday morning, Serkin heard the music of Johann Sebastian Bach being broadcast over the radio from a neighbor's house. As he listened, he said, "It became clear to me that I should play." He returned to the U.S. and began his musical career anew.[10]
Henceforth, Serkin performed around the world with leading orchestras and conductors including
Serkin was a committed performer of new and recent music. He played works as world premieres or that were dedicated to him, by composers such as Elliott Carter, Alexander Goehr, Knussen, Lieberson and Takemitsu.[7] The American composer Ned Rorem writes of Serkin, "His uniqueness lies, as I hear it, in a friendly rather than over-awed approach to the classics, which nonetheless plays with the care and brio that is in the family blood, and he's not afraid to be ugly. He approaches contemporary music with the same depth as he does the classics, and he is unique among the superstars in that he approaches it at all."[13]
Among prominent virtuosi, Peter Serkin was one of the first to experiment with period
Serkin collaborated with
Personal life and death
Serkin was married to Wendy Spinner until their divorce in 1979; they had one daughter. He was then married to Regina Touhey, and had four children with her; they divorced in 2018. Serkin died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Red Hook, New York, on February 1, 2020.[1][3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Tommasini, Anthony (February 1, 2020). "Peter Serkin, 72, Dies; Pianist With Pedigree Who Forged a New Path". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ Stephen Lehmann and Marion Farber, Rudolf Serkin: A Life (Oxford, 2003), p. 96.
- ^ a b c d Dobrin, Peter (February 1, 2020). "Peter Serkin, 72, famed pianist who studied at Curtis Institute of Music". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ "Peter Serkin Archives".
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ "Overview - Marlboro Music Festival". December 11, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Peter Serkin". Los Angeles Philharmonic. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ "Accademia Musicale Chigiana International Prize". Accademia Musicale Chigiana. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ "NEC Honorary Doctor of Music Degree". New England Conservatory of Music. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ Frank Conroy, Dogs Bark, but the Caravan Rolls On (New York, 2002), 186–195.
- ^ Hodges, Bruce (February 2005). "Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) / Vingt Regards sur L'Enfant-Jésus". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ Sealey, Mark (April 2011). "Charles Wuorinen (b. 1938) / Chamber Music". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ Conroy, 186–195.
- ^ "Back-to-back Bach | Inquirer | 03/16/2007". March 21, 2007. Archived from the original on March 21, 2007.
External links
- Peter Serkin Discography, Videography, Selected Quotes
- Peter Serkin Manager's Website
- Peter Serkin previous manager CM Artists
- Richard Scheinin: "In a rare interview, pianist Peter Serkin talks about his life, family and art" The Mercury News, November 21, 2017