Andor Földes
Encyclopedia
Andor Földes was an internationally renowned Hungarian pianist
born in Budapest, who later took American citizenship.
with Ernő Dohnányi
. On 3 November 1947, he performed Béla Bartók
's Second Piano Concerto
on the opening concert of the 18th season of the National Orchestral Association, conducted by Leon Barzin
, at Carnegie Hall
in New York City
. It was the first performance of the concerto in New York, though there had been earlier American performances in Chicago
, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
born in Budapest, who later took American citizenship.
Career
Földes studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of MusicFranz Liszt Academy of Music
The Franz Liszt Academy of Music is a concert hall and music conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875...
with Ernő Dohnányi
Erno Dohnányi
Ernő Dohnányi was a Hungarian conductor, composer, and pianist. He used the German form of his name Ernst von Dohnányi for most of his published compositions....
. On 3 November 1947, he performed Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
's Second Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Bartók)
Béla Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Sz. 95, BB 101 is one of the composer's more accessible compositions for audiences. It is especially notorious for being one of the most difficult pieces in the repertoire....
on the opening concert of the 18th season of the National Orchestral Association, conducted by Leon Barzin
Leon Barzin
Léon Eugene Barzin was a Belgian-born American conductor and founder of the National Orchestral Association , the oldest surviving training orchestra in the United States...
, at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was the first performance of the concerto in New York, though there had been earlier American performances in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.
Awards
- For his service to the reconstruction of the BeethovenhalleBeethovenhalleThe Beethovenhalle is a concert hall in Bonn. It is the third hall in that city to bear the name of Bonn-born composer Ludwig van Beethoven.- History :...
in Bonn - for which he gave concerts in New York, London, Buenos Aires, Bonn and other cities – and as recognition for his artistic legacy Andor Foldes was awarded the Grand Service Cross of the German Bundesrepublik in 1964. - In France in 1968 the pianist was honoured with the distinction "Commandeur du Mérite Artistique et Culturel" for his playing of Debussy.
- For his recordings of the Bartók piano works the German Phono-Akademie awarded Andor Foldes the German Schallplattenpreis 1982, in the category "Historic Recording".
Writings
- Keys to the Keyboard: A Book for Pianists, with Explanatory Music. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1948. Reprinted, with an introductory letter from Sir Malcolm Sargent, London and New York: Oxford University Press, 1950, 1951, 1964, 1968. Sixth impression 1972. German translation, as Wege zum Klavier: Kleine Ratgeber für Pianisten, translated by Marguerite M. Schlüter, Wiesbaden: Limes-Verlag, 1948, reprinted 1952. Second German edition, 1963. Third German edition 1978, ISBN 3809021415. Fourth German edition Wiesbaden and Munich: Limes, 1986, ISBN 3809021415. Fifth German edition Frankfurt and Berlin: Edition Bergh im Verlag Ullstein. ISBN 3716302236. Finnish edition, as Pianonsoiton avaimet, translated by Margareta Jalas, Porvooo: WSOY, 1950. Dutch edition, as Hoekstenen van het klavierspel, translated by Willem Henri Alting van Geusau, with a forward by Piet Tiggers, Assen: Born, 1951; second edition 1953. Spanish edition, as Claves del teclado: un libro para pianistas, translated by F. Walter Liebling, Manuales musicales Ricordi, Buenos Aires: Ricordi Americana, 1958.
- "Current Chronicle: Norway". The Musical Quarterly 35, no. 1 (January 1949): 141-46.
- "Béla Bartók". Tempo new series, no. 43 (Spring 1957): 22–20.
- "Kodály". Tempo new series, no. 46 (Winter 1958): 8–11.
- "Reminiscence and Reassessment". The Musical Times 102, no. 1426 (December 1961): 768–69
- Gibt es einen zeitgenössischen Beethoven-Stil? (Is there a contemporary Beethoven-style?) (Limes Verlag, Wiesbaden 1963)
- Erinnerungen. (Memoirs) (Limes Verlag/im Verlag Ullstein, Frankfurt a.M./Berlin 1993)
Sources
- Riemann Musik Lexikon (B.Schott`s Söhne, Mainz 1959).
- R. P. 1947. "Concert Features Bartok Selection". The New York Times (4 November): 33.
- Hans-Peter Range, Die Konzertpianisten der Gegenwart (Concert Pianists of To-day) (Moritz Schauenburg-Verlag, Lahr (Schwarzwald) 1964).
- Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski, Andor Foldes (Rembrandt Verlag, Berlin 1970).
Further reading
- Hollós, Máté. 2003. "Nagy szellemek barátja" [A Friend of Great Spirits]. Heti válasz 3, no. 45 (7 November): 50–51. (Interview with Lili Főldes.)
- Mann, William S. 2001. "Foldes [Főldes], Andor". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley SadieStanley SadieStanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
and John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (professor of music)John Tyrrell was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in 1942. He studied at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Brno. In 2000 he was appointed Research Professor at Cardiff University....
. London: Macmillan Publishers.