Maria Curcio
Encyclopedia
Maria Curcio was an Italian
classical
pianist
who became renowned as a greatly influential and sought-after teacher. Her students included Martha Argerich
, Radu Lupu
, Dame Mitsuko Uchida
, Leon Fleisher
and Geoffrey Tozer
. She was the last student of Artur Schnabel
and she passed on his teachings to her own students.
in 1918, to an Italian father and a Jewish-Brazil
ian mother, also a pianist who had studied with a pupil of Ferruccio Busoni
. She was playing by age three, and at age seven was taken to Rome to play for Benito Mussolini
, but refused to do so. She was tutored at home to leave more time for practising, but she did not have a happy childhood, as she was pushed into accepting too many engagements too soon, and there was no time to play or have friends. Ottorino Respighi
invited her to give a recital at his house. She was accepted to the Naples Conservatory at age nine, receiving her degree by 14. Her mother arranged for her to study with Alfredo Casella
and Carlo Zecchi
(a pupil of Artur Schnabel
) in Italy, and with Nadia Boulanger
in Paris
. She also studied with Artur Schnabel himself from age 15; he did not normally take young pupils, but his son Karl Ulrich
persuaded him to audition her. When he did so, he described her as "one of the greatest talents I have ever met". When Schnabel was on tour, she had lessons with Fritz Busch
.
She made her London debut in 1939, but at the outbreak of World War II
, she was in Amsterdam
, where she had followed Schnabel's secretary Peter Diamand, and where she performed frequently. However, during the German occupation of the Netherlands
from 1940, when Jews were banned from playing in public, she turned down all offers of engagements in protest (Diamand was Jewish). Diamand spent some time in a Dutch concentration camp before escaping. They then needed to hide from the Nazis, in attics and other cramped places, with inadequate food. She became a victim of malnutrition and tuberculosis
, unable to even walk properly, let alone play. Her performing career was now effectively over. She married Diamand in 1948, but she needed years of therapy to restore her power to her legs, arms and fingers. Wilhelm Furtwängler
wanted to record with her, but by the time he died in 1954 she still had not recovered sufficient strength. She did, however, finally return to playing; she collaborated with such artists as Benjamin Britten
, Carlo Maria Giulini
, Szymon Goldberg
, Otto Klemperer
, Josef Krips
, Pierre Monteux
and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
. Her last performance was in 1963. She then turned to teaching and giving master classes. She also coached singers at Josef Krips's request when he conducted the Netherlands Opera.
In the meantime, Peter Diamand had been appointed director of the Edinburgh Festival
and they had moved to the UK. She served on the jury of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
in 1966. She was appointed Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music
. She played privately with Sir Clifford Curzon
, who had introduced her to Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears
and their circle in 1947. She often played four-hand piano music with Britten.
She and her husband divorced in 1971 after he had a relationship with Marlene Dietrich
. She spent her last few years in Porto
, Portugal
, where she died in March 2009, aged 90.
BBC Scotland
made two films about Maria Curcio in the 1980s: Music in Camera: Maria Curcio - Fulfilling a Legacy and Maria Curcio - Piano Teacher.
A documentary of her life, Music Beyond Sound, was made by her student Douglas Ashley in 1993. He also wrote a book of the same name.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
who became renowned as a greatly influential and sought-after teacher. Her students included Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.-Early life:Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three...
, Radu Lupu
Radu Lupu
Radu Lupu is a Romanian concert pianist. He has won a number of the most prestigious awards in classical piano, including first prizes in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition....
, Dame Mitsuko Uchida
Mitsuko Uchida
, born 20 December 1948, is a Japanese naturalized British classical pianist.-Career:Born in Atami, a seaside town close to Tokyo, Japan, Uchida moved to Vienna, Austria, with her diplomat parents when she was twelve years old, after her father was named the Japanese ambassador to Austria...
, Leon Fleisher
Leon Fleisher
Leon Fleisher is an American pianist and conductor.-Early life and studies:Fleisher was born in San Francisco, where he started studying the piano at age four...
and Geoffrey Tozer
Geoffrey Tozer
Geoffrey Tozer was an Australian classical pianist and composer. As a child prodigy, he composed an opera at the age of eight, and became the youngest recipient of a Churchill Fellowship award at 13...
. She was the last student of Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
and she passed on his teachings to her own students.
Biography
Maria Curcio was born in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1918, to an Italian father and a Jewish-Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian mother, also a pianist who had studied with a pupil of Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
. She was playing by age three, and at age seven was taken to Rome to play for Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, but refused to do so. She was tutored at home to leave more time for practising, but she did not have a happy childhood, as she was pushed into accepting too many engagements too soon, and there was no time to play or have friends. Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...
invited her to give a recital at his house. She was accepted to the Naples Conservatory at age nine, receiving her degree by 14. Her mother arranged for her to study with Alfredo Casella
Alfredo Casella
Alfredo Casella was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor.- Life and career :Casella was born in Turin; his family included many musicians; his grandfather, a friend of Paganini's, was first cello in the San Carlo Theatre in Lisbon and eventually was soloist in the Royal Chapel in Turin...
and Carlo Zecchi
Carlo Zecchi
Carlo Zecchi was an Italian pianist, music teacher and conductor.Zecchi was born in Rome. He led pianistic courses in Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome, and in Salzburg. Highly acclaimed performer of Domenico Scarlatti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claude Debussy works, and of Romantic...
(a pupil of Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
) in Italy, and with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. She also studied with Artur Schnabel himself from age 15; he did not normally take young pupils, but his son Karl Ulrich
Karl Ulrich Schnabel
Karl Ulrich Schnabel was an Austrian pianist, and the son of pianist Artur Schnabel and operatic contralto and lieder singer Therese Behr.-Biography:...
persuaded him to audition her. When he did so, he described her as "one of the greatest talents I have ever met". When Schnabel was on tour, she had lessons with Fritz Busch
Fritz Busch
Fritz Busch was a German conductor.Busch was born in Siegen, Province of Westphalia. He held posts conducting opera at Aachen, Stuttgart and Dresden. In 1933 he was dismissed from his post at Dresden because of his opposition to the new Nazi government of Germany...
.
She made her London debut in 1939, but at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she was in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, where she had followed Schnabel's secretary Peter Diamand, and where she performed frequently. However, during the German occupation of the Netherlands
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
from 1940, when Jews were banned from playing in public, she turned down all offers of engagements in protest (Diamand was Jewish). Diamand spent some time in a Dutch concentration camp before escaping. They then needed to hide from the Nazis, in attics and other cramped places, with inadequate food. She became a victim of malnutrition and tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, unable to even walk properly, let alone play. Her performing career was now effectively over. She married Diamand in 1948, but she needed years of therapy to restore her power to her legs, arms and fingers. Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler was a German conductor and composer. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. By the 1930s he had built a reputation as one of the leading conductors in Europe, and he was the leading conductor who remained...
wanted to record with her, but by the time he died in 1954 she still had not recovered sufficient strength. She did, however, finally return to playing; she collaborated with such artists as Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, Carlo Maria Giulini
Carlo Maria Giulini
Carlo Maria Giulini was an Italian conductor.-Biography:Giulini was born in Barletta, Italy, to a father born in Lombardy and a mother born in Naples; but he was raised in Bolzano, which at the time of his birth was part of Austria...
, Szymon Goldberg
Szymon Goldberg
Szymon Goldberg was a Polish-born American violinist and conductor.Born in Włocławek, Congress Poland, Goldberg played the violin as a child growing up in Warsaw...
, Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century.-Biography:Otto Klemperer was born in Breslau, Silesia Province, then in Germany...
, 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...
, Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, DBE was a German-born Austrian/British soprano opera singer and recitalist. She was among the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century, much admired for her performances of Mozart, Schubert, Strauss, and Wolf.-Early life:Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike...
. Her last performance was in 1963. She then turned to teaching and giving master classes. She also coached singers at Josef Krips's request when he conducted the Netherlands Opera.
In the meantime, Peter Diamand had been appointed director of the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
and they had moved to the UK. She served on the jury of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
The Leeds International Piano Competition informally known as The Leeds takes place every three years in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1961 by Marion, Countess of Harewood and Fanny Waterman, who is today its Chairman and Artistic Director. The competition was first held in 1963...
in 1966. She was appointed Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
. She played privately with Sir Clifford Curzon
Clifford Curzon
Sir Clifford Michael Curzon, CBE was an English pianist.-Early life:Clifford Michael Siegenberg was born in London to Michael and Constance Mary Siegenberg...
, who had introduced her to Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears
Peter Pears
Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears CBE was an English tenor who was knighted in 1978. His career was closely associated with the composer Edward Benjamin Britten....
and their circle in 1947. She often played four-hand piano music with Britten.
She and her husband divorced in 1971 after he had a relationship with Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
. She spent her last few years in Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, where she died in March 2009, aged 90.
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
made two films about Maria Curcio in the 1980s: Music in Camera: Maria Curcio - Fulfilling a Legacy and Maria Curcio - Piano Teacher.
A documentary of her life, Music Beyond Sound, was made by her student Douglas Ashley in 1993. He also wrote a book of the same name.
Students
Maria Curcio's students came from many countries, and included:- Pierre-Laurent AimardPierre-Laurent AimardPierre-Laurent Aimard is a French pianist. He was born in Lyon, where he entered the conservatory. Later he studied with Yvonne Loriod and with Maria Curcio....
- Martha ArgerichMartha ArgerichMartha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.-Early life:Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three...
- Douglas Ashley
- Thomas BartlettDovemanDoveman is a band founded by Thomas Bartlett. Originally from Vermont, Bartlett studied piano in London with Maria Curcio before moving to New York City to attend Columbia University. He attended Columbia for one year, when he left to focus on his studies of classical music. After leaving Columbia,...
- Peter Bithell
- Michel BlockMichel BlockMichel Block was a renowned pianist and winner of the 1962 Leventritt Competition. Block studied at the Juilliard School. He later taught at the Indiana University School of Music.-References:...
- Evelyne Brancart
- Angela Brownridge
- Myung-whun ChungMyung-Whun ChungMyung-whun Chung is a South Korean pianist and conductor.His sisters, violinist Kyung-wha Chung, and cellist Myung-wha Chung, and he at one time performed together as the Chung Trio. He was a joined second-prize winner in the 1974 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Chung studied conducting at...
- Simone DinnersteinSimone DinnersteinSimone Dinnerstein is an American classical pianist who became celebrated, both critically and commercially, for her self-financed recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations, released in 2007.-Education:...
- Barry DouglasBarry DouglasBarry Douglas OBE is a classical pianist and conductor. He studied piano, cello, clarinet and organ while growing up in Belfast. He first studied in Belfast while attending Methodist College Belfast and, at 16, had lessons with Felicitas LeWinter, a pupil of Emil von Sauer and grand-pupil of...
- Christopher EltonChristopher EltonChristopher Elton is an English pianist, Head of the Keyboard department of the Royal Academy of Music in London and a professor emeritus of the University of London.-Biography:...
- José FeghaliJosé FeghaliJosé Feghali is a Brazilian pianist, currently an Artist-in-Residence at TCU's school of music in piano. He was the Gold Medalist winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1985.- Education :...
- Leon FleisherLeon FleisherLeon Fleisher is an American pianist and conductor.-Early life and studies:Fleisher was born in San Francisco, where he started studying the piano at age four...
- Peter FranklPeter FranklPeter Frankl is a Hungarian-born British pianist. He mainly performs music from the Classical period , the Romantic period and the early Modern period...
- Claude FrankClaude FrankClaude Frank is a German-born, American Jewish pianist whose career has included appearances with highly reputed orchestras, at major festivals, and in major recital halls around the world...
- Franz Glazer
- Anthony Goldstone
- Jean-François Heisser
- Ian Hobson
- Niel ImmelmanNiel ImmelmanNiel Immelman is a South African classical pianist.He studied with Cyril Smith, Ilona Kabos and Maria Curcio. He was still a student at the Royal College of Music when Bernard Haitink invited him to play Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the London Philharmonic Orchestra...
- Terence JuddTerence JuddTerence Judd was an outstanding 20th century English pianist who died young, poised on the verge of a musical career....
- Angela Kim
- Dalia Lazar (her last student)
- Rae de Lisle
- Radu LupuRadu LupuRadu Lupu is a Romanian concert pianist. He has won a number of the most prestigious awards in classical piano, including first prizes in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition....
- Tessa Nicholson
- Rafael Orozco
- Alfredo PerlAlfredo PerlAlfredo Perl is a Chilean-German classical pianist and conductor, best known in the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany. He is best known for his recitals of Beethoven's sonatas. He is the current conductor of the Detmold Chamber Orchestra....
- Matthew SchellhornMatthew SchellhornMatthew Schellhorn is a British pianist.Selected as a 'Talent to Watch' for 2007 by BBC Music Magazine, and described as 'a rising star' and 'one of Britain's most exciting young pianists' , Matthew Schellhorn has a growing international career, which in recent seasons has seen recitals in...
- Ignat SolzhenitsynIgnat SolzhenitsynIgnat Aleksandrovich Solzhenitsyn is a Russian-American conductor and pianist who is the conductor laureate of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the principal guest conductor of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.-Career:...
- Yevgeny SudbinYevgeny SudbinYevgeny Sudbin is a Russian concert pianist. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. After his family emigrated to Berlin when he was age 10, he won several German piano competitions, and studied at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. He was a pupil of Christopher Elton at...
- Sergio TiempoSergio TiempoSergio Daniel Tiempo is a Venezuelan-Argentine classical pianist. He has studied under some of the best known pianists....
- Hugh TinneyHugh TinneyHugh Tinney is an Irish pianist, born in 1958.-Biography:Tinney was a pupil at Gonzaga College, Dublin through the 1970s where he showed strong ability in mathematics and music. He also studied cello under Betty Barrett. He studied physics at Trinity College Dublin...
- Geoffrey TozerGeoffrey TozerGeoffrey Tozer was an Australian classical pianist and composer. As a child prodigy, he composed an opera at the age of eight, and became the youngest recipient of a Churchill Fellowship award at 13...
- Dame Mitsuko UchidaMitsuko Uchida, born 20 December 1948, is a Japanese naturalized British classical pianist.-Career:Born in Atami, a seaside town close to Tokyo, Japan, Uchida moved to Vienna, Austria, with her diplomat parents when she was twelve years old, after her father was named the Japanese ambassador to Austria...
. - Vedat Kosal