Horacio Gutiérrez
Encyclopedia
Horacio Gutiérrez is a Cuban-American virtuoso classical pianist.
, Cuba
, the eldest of four children, to Tomás V. Gutiérrez and Josefina Fernandez Gutiérrez. His mother was his first piano teacher, and was herself, an accomplished pianist. His first formal teacher was César Pérez Sentenat. Gutiérrez began performing before audiences at four years of age, and at 11, performed as soloist with the Havana Symphony playing Haydn's D major concerto. When Fidel Castro
gained control of Cuba in 1959, the family decided to leave the country together rather than send Gutiérrez abroad alone at a young age.
He moved with his family to the United States in 1961, at the age of 13, and studied in Los Angeles with Sergey Tarnowsky
(1882-1976), Vladimir Horowitz
's first teacher in Kiev, and later at the Juilliard School of Music under Adele Marcus
(1906-1995), a pupil of Russian pianist Josef Lhevinne
. He later worked extensively with American pianist William Masselos
(1920-1992), a pupil of Carl Friedberg
(1872-1955), who himself had studied with Clara Schumann
and Brahms.
with Leonard Bernstein
, playing "The Great Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition
, by Modeste Moussorgsky.
On August 23, 1970, Gutiérrez made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
and Zubin Mehta
conducting Rachmaninoff's Third piano concerto. Martin Bernheimer
, music critic with the Los Angeles Times
, described his first appearance with the orchestra as "spectacular."
He currently lives and works in the U.S. He met his wife, pianist Patricia Asher, while she was studying with William Masselos and Adele Marcus at the Juilliard School of Music.
He was M.D. Anderson Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Houston
from 1996-2003. He taught at New York's Manhattan School of Music
from 2004 to 2009.
Gutiérrez's performance career spans over four decades and he is considered by many piano connoisseurs to be one of the great pianists of the second half of the 20th century. Gutiérrez suffers from bursitis and a chronic back injury.
's management. After his debut recital in London, Joan Chissell, music critic with the Times of London wrote, “His virtuosity is of the kind of which legends are made.” He has played with major orchestras and conductors, including Maazel
, Andrew Davis
, Josef Krips
, Rostropovich, David Zinman
, Gerard Schwarz
, Andrew Litton
, Kurt Masur
, James Levine
, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
, Christoph Eschenbach
, Mehta
, Eugene Ormandy
, Valery Gergiev
, Ozawa
, Previn
, Leinsdorf
, Yuri Ahronovich
, Tennstedt
, Ashkenazy
, Barenboim
and many others.
In 1982, he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize
in recognition of his musical achievements.
Gutiérrez is best known for his interpretation of the Romantic repertoire. He has been highly praised for performances of the Classical style in music of composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms.
He won an Emmy Award
for his fourth appearance with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
He was featured in Harold C. Schonberg
’s work, “The Great Pianists: From Mozart to Present."
He has recorded for EMI
, Telarc, and Chandos Records
.
Gutiérrez’s recordings include:
Gutiérrez is a strong champion of contemporary American composers. He has performed works by William Schuman
, André Previn
, and George Perle
. His most recent recording, “George Perle: A Retrospective,” was named one of the ten best recordings of 2006 by The New Yorker
. Perle dedicated Nine Bagatelles to Gutiérrez.
Early life and education
Gutiérrez was born in HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, the eldest of four children, to Tomás V. Gutiérrez and Josefina Fernandez Gutiérrez. His mother was his first piano teacher, and was herself, an accomplished pianist. His first formal teacher was César Pérez Sentenat. Gutiérrez began performing before audiences at four years of age, and at 11, performed as soloist with the Havana Symphony playing Haydn's D major concerto. When Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
gained control of Cuba in 1959, the family decided to leave the country together rather than send Gutiérrez abroad alone at a young age.
He moved with his family to the United States in 1961, at the age of 13, and studied in Los Angeles with Sergey Tarnowsky
Sergey Tarnowsky
Sergei Tarnowsky was a Russian pianist.Sergei Tarnowsky was born in Kiev. His mother was a singer who had studied in Italy, and his father was a jurist. Visiting musicians often visited the family home and Sergei showed an interest in the piano at an early age. At the age of eight he studied...
(1882-1976), Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
's first teacher in Kiev, and later at the Juilliard School of Music under Adele Marcus
Adele Marcus
Adele Marcus was an American pianist, but better known as a teacher of many other famous pianists.She was born in Kansas City, the last of 13 children of a rabbi of Russian descent...
(1906-1995), a pupil of Russian pianist Josef Lhevinne
Josef Lhévinne
Josef Lhévinne was a Russian pianist and piano teacher.Joseph Arkadievich Levin was born into a family of musicians in Oryol and studied at the Imperial Conservatory in Moscow under Vasily Safonov...
. He later worked extensively with American pianist William Masselos
William Masselos
William Masselos was an American classical pianist.-Biography:William Masselos was born in Niagara Falls, New York to a Dutch mother and a Greek father...
(1920-1992), a pupil of Carl Friedberg
Carl Friedberg
Carl Rudolf Hermann Friedberg was a German pianist and teacher.Friedberg studied piano with James Kwast and with Clara Schumann at the Hoch Conservatory, Frankfurt. He later became a teacher there and later at the Cologne Conservatory...
(1872-1955), who himself had studied with Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
and Brahms.
Career
He was first seen on American television in 1966, on one of the Young People's ConcertsYoung People's Concerts
The Young People's Concerts at the New York Philharmonic are the longest-running series of family concerts of classical music in the world.-Genesis:...
with Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
, playing "The Great Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874.The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists...
, by Modeste Moussorgsky.
On August 23, 1970, Gutiérrez made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
and Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
conducting Rachmaninoff's Third piano concerto. Martin Bernheimer
Martin Bernheimer
Martin Bernheimer is an American music critic. He studied at Brown University and the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, along with the famous musicologist Gustave Reese at New York University....
, music critic with the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, described his first appearance with the orchestra as "spectacular."
He currently lives and works in the U.S. He met his wife, pianist Patricia Asher, while she was studying with William Masselos and Adele Marcus at the Juilliard School of Music.
He was M.D. Anderson Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
from 1996-2003. He taught at New York's Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
from 2004 to 2009.
Gutiérrez's performance career spans over four decades and he is considered by many piano connoisseurs to be one of the great pianists of the second half of the 20th century. Gutiérrez suffers from bursitis and a chronic back injury.
Television
- BBC "Previn Music Nights" with the London SymphonyLondon SymphonyLondon Symphony may refer to:*London Symphony Orchestra*Symphony No. 104 , by composer Joseph Haydn*A London Symphony, the Second Symphony by composer Ralph Vaughan Williams...
, (1975) - PBS Series: "Previn and the Pittsburg," (1976)
- PBS Series: "Previn and the Pittsburg," (1982)
- PBS Series: Live from Lincoln Center, "Mostly Mozart Festival," (1985)
- PBS Series: Live from Lincoln Center, "Chamber Music Society with Irene WorthIrene WorthIrene Worth, CBE was an American stage and screen actress who became one of the leading stars of the English and American theatre. -Early life:...
and Horacio Gutierrez," (1986) - The Tonight ShowThe Tonight ShowThe Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
starring Johnny CarsonJohnny CarsonJohn William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
, (1985), (1986) (Three appearances)
Performance and awards
He won the Silver Medal in the 1970 Tchaikovsky International Competition and was soon presented in major world-wide concert venues by Sol HurokSol Hurok
Sol Hurok was a world-famous 20th century American impresario.-Biography:...
's management. After his debut recital in London, Joan Chissell, music critic with the Times of London wrote, “His virtuosity is of the kind of which legends are made.” He has played with major orchestras and conductors, including Maazel
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Varencove Maazel is an American conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States, primarily at his parents' home in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. His father, Lincoln Maazel , was...
, Andrew Davis
Andrew Davis (conductor)
Sir Andrew Frank Davis CBE is a British conductor.Born in Ashridge, Hertfordshire to Robert J. Davis and his wife Florence J. née Badminton, Davis grew up in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, and in Watford. Davis attended Watford Boys' Grammar School, where he studied classics in his sixth form years...
, Josef Krips
Josef Krips
Josef Alois Krips was an Austrian conductor and violinist.-Biography:Krips was born in Vienna and went on to become a pupil of Eusebius Mandyczewski and Felix Weingartner. From 1921 to 1924, he served as Weingartner's assistant at the Vienna Volksoper and as répétiteur and chorus master...
, Rostropovich, David Zinman
David Zinman
David Zinman is an American conductor and violinist.After early violin studies at the Oberlin Conservatory, Zinman studied theory and composition at the University of Minnesota and took up conducting at Tanglewood...
, Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz is an American conductor. He was music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 2011.In 2007 Schwarz was named music director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, having served as principal conductor since 2005...
, Andrew Litton
Andrew Litton
Andrew Litton is an American orchestral conductor. Litton is a graduate of The Fieldston School, and holds both undergraduate and Masters degrees in music from Juilliard....
, Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...
, James Levine
James Levine
James Lawrence Levine is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Levine's first performance conducting the Metropolitan Opera was on June 5, 1971, and as of May 2011 he has...
, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky is a Russian conductor.-Biography:Rozhdestvensky was born in Moscow. His parents were the noted conductor and pedagogue Nikolai Anosov and soprano Natalya Rozhdestvenskaya...
, Christoph Eschenbach
Christoph Eschenbach
Christoph Eschenbach , born February 20, 1940, Breslau, Germany is a German-born pianist and conductor. He currently holds positions in Washington, D.C. as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra and music director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.-Early...
, Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
, Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
, Valery Gergiev
Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
, Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa
is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
, Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
, Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
, Yuri Ahronovich
Yuri Ahronovich
Yuri Mikhaylovich Ahronovitch was a Soviet-born Israeli conductor.Born in Leningrad, he studied music and the violin from the age of 4. In 1954 he graduated as conductor from the Leningrad Conservatory. He studied with Nathan Rachlin and Kurt Sanderling...
, Tennstedt
Klaus Tennstedt
Klaus Tennstedt was a German conductor from Merseburg; he conducted such orchestras as the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Kiel Opera in Northern Germany; North German Radio Orchestra, in Hamburg; the Minnesota Orchestra; and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.-Life and career:He studied violin and...
, Ashkenazy
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian-Icelandic conductor and pianist. Since 1972 he has been a citizen of Iceland, his wife Þórunn's country of birth. Since 1978, because of his many obligations in Europe, he and his family have resided in Meggen, near Lucerne in Switzerland...
, Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
and many others.
In 1982, he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize
Avery Fisher Prize
The Avery Fisher Prize is an award given to American musicians for outstanding achievement in classical music. Founded by philanthropist Avery Fisher in 1974, it is regarded as one of the most significant awards for American instrumentalists. The award is decided by members of the Avery Fisher...
in recognition of his musical achievements.
Gutiérrez is best known for his interpretation of the Romantic repertoire. He has been highly praised for performances of the Classical style in music of composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms.
He won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for his fourth appearance with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
He was featured in Harold C. Schonberg
Harold C. Schonberg
Harold Charles Schonberg was an American music critic and journalist, most notably for The New York Times. He was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism...
’s work, “The Great Pianists: From Mozart to Present."
He has recorded for EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, Telarc, and Chandos Records
Chandos Records
Chandos Records is an independent classical music recording company based in Colchester, Essex, in the United Kingdom, founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.- Background :...
.
Gutiérrez’s recordings include:
- Prokofiev’s Concertos No. 2 and 3 with Neeme JarviNeeme JärviNeeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
and the Royal Concertgebouw OrchestraRoyal Concertgebouw OrchestraThe Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is a symphony orchestra of the Netherlands, based at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In 1988, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands conferred the "Royal" title upon the orchestra...
. The recording has been acclaimed since its initial release in 1990. Reissued as part of Prokofiev The Piano Concertos in 2009, it was Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice in September (2009). Bryce Morrison wrote in Gramophone Magazine, "...Gutiérrez unleashes some of the most thrilling virtuosity on record, storming the Second Concerto’s first movement development/cadenza in a manner that will make lesser pianists tremble."
- Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 with Lorin Maazel and the Pittsburgh Symphony. The record was nominated for a Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. - Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with Andre Previn and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Brahms Piano Concerto No.2 with Andre Previn and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini with David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony.
Gutiérrez is a strong champion of contemporary American composers. He has performed works by William Schuman
William Schuman
William Howard Schuman was an American composer and music administrator.-Life:Born in Manhattan in New York City to Samuel and Rachel Schuman, Schuman was named after the twenty-seventh U.S. president, William Howard Taft, although his family preferred to call him Bill...
, André Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
, and George Perle
George Perle
George Perle was a composer and music theorist. He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. Perle was an alumnus of DePaul University...
. His most recent recording, “George Perle: A Retrospective,” was named one of the ten best recordings of 2006 by The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. Perle dedicated Nine Bagatelles to Gutiérrez.