Moura Lympany
Encyclopedia
Dame Moura Lympany DBE
(18 August 1916 – 28 March 2005) was an English concert pianist.
She was born as Mary Gertrude Johnstone at Saltash
, Cornwall
. Her father was an army officer who had served in World War I and her mother originally taught her the piano. Mary was sent to a convent school in Belgium, where her musical talent was encouraged, and she went on to study at Liège, later winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music
in London.
After auditioning for the conductor, Basil Cameron
, she made her concert debut with him at Harrogate
in 1929, aged twelve, playing the G minor Concerto
of Felix Mendelssohn
, the only concerto she had memorised up to that point. It was Cameron who suggested that she adopt a stage name for the concert and an old spelling of her mother's maiden name, Limpenny, was chosen.
She went on to study in Vienna
with Paul Weingarten
, in London with Mathilde Verne
, who had been a pupil of Clara Schumann
and Tobias Matthay
. In 1935, she made her London debut at the Wigmore Hall
, and in 1938 she came second to Emil Gilels
in the Ysaÿe Piano Competition
in Brussels
. By the Second World War
, she was one of the UK's most popular pianists.
In 1940 she gave the British premiere of Aram Khachaturian
's Piano Concerto in D flat
, one of the pieces most closely associated with her. In 1944 she married Colin Defries, but they divorced in 1950. In 1951 she married Bennet Korn, an American television executive, and moved to the United States. Lympany very much wanted to start a family but she had two miscarriage
s, and a son who died shortly after birth. She and Bennet Korn divorced in 1961. Some years later she became a close friend of the politician and amateur musician, Edward Heath
, and mutual friends expressed hopes that they might marry, but this did not happen.
After the war she became more widely known, performing throughout Europe and in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India. When living in New York, Lympany continued her concert and recording career. Lympany was a Steinway
pianist and participated in the Steinway Centenary Concert on 19 October 1953 in which ten Steinway pianists played a Polonaise by Chopin. Most famously the rehearsal of this piece was recorded and broadcast on Ed Sullivan
's television show at that time called Toast of the Town.
In 1969 Lympany was diagnosed with breast cancer and her left breast was removed. Three months after the operation she performed Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 4 for the Left Hand, Op. 53
, at the Royal Festival Hall, London. She later had a second mastectomy
but continued working and gained renewed popularity. In 1979, fifty years after making her debut, she performed at the Royal Festival Hall
for Charles, Prince of Wales
and the following year she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(CBE). In 1992 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order (DBE). She also received honours from the Belgian, French, and Portuguese governments. Moura - Her Autobiography, written with her cousin, author Margot Strickland, was published by Peter Owen in 1991.
In 1981 she established the annual Rasiguères Festival of Music and Wine, near Perpignan
(for which the Manchester Camerata
was resident orchestra), which ran for 10 years and also assisted Prince Louis de Polignac to establish, in 1986, the Festival des Sept Chapelles in Guidel
, Brittany
.
From the mid 1980s she was based in Monaco
but she died in Gorbio near Menton
, aged 88. Her archive was deposited in the International Piano Archive http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/IPAM/index.html at the University of Maryland, College Park
http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/IPAM/IPAMlympany.html.
A succession of reissues of Lympany archive recordings has contributed to both maintaining her reputation and introducing her to post-LP generations including CDs issued by Dutton (Mozart K414 and K467), Ivory Classics
(Mendelssohn, Litolff, Liszt), Olympia (Rachmaninov and Prokofiev), Pristine Audio (Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No 2) and Testament (Rachmaninov Preludes).
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(18 August 1916 – 28 March 2005) was an English concert pianist.
She was born as Mary Gertrude Johnstone at Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. Her father was an army officer who had served in World War I and her mother originally taught her the piano. Mary was sent to a convent school in Belgium, where her musical talent was encouraged, and she went on to study at Liège, later winning a scholarship to 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...
in London.
After auditioning for the conductor, Basil Cameron
Basil Cameron
Basil Cameron, CBE was an English conductor. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England, the son of a German immigrant family. His birth name was Basil George Cameron Hindenberg. -Career:...
, she made her concert debut with him at Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
in 1929, aged twelve, playing the G minor Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 1 (Mendelssohn)
Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor was written in 1830–1, around the same time as his fourth symphony , and premiered in Munich in October 1831. He had already written a piano concerto in A minor with string accompaniment and two concertos with two pianos...
of Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
, the only concerto she had memorised up to that point. It was Cameron who suggested that she adopt a stage name for the concert and an old spelling of her mother's maiden name, Limpenny, was chosen.
She went on to study in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
with Paul Weingarten
Paul Weingarten
Paul Weingarten. Ph.D. was a Moravia-born pianist and music teacher.He studied Music History at the University of Vienna, where he obtained a Ph.D. in 1910.He studied music at the Vienna Conservatory...
, in London with Mathilde Verne
Mathilde Verne
Mathilde Verne was an English pianist and teacher, of German descent.She was born Mathilde Wurm, in Southampton, England, the fourth of ten children, all of whom were musically gifted. She was initially a student of Franklin Taylor. She had the opportunity to play to Clara Schumann, who took her...
, who had been a pupil of Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
and Tobias Matthay
Tobias Matthay
Tobias Augustus Matthay was an English pianist, teacher, and composer.-Biography:Matthaw as born in London in 1858 to parents who had come from northern Germany and were naturalised British subjects...
. In 1935, she made her London debut at the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
, and in 1938 she came second to Emil Gilels
Emil Gilels
Emil Grigoryevich Gilels was a Soviet pianist, widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.His last name is sometimes transliterated Hilels.-Biography:...
in the Ysaÿe Piano Competition
Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin , piano , to composition and to singing...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. By the Second World War
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 one of the UK's most popular pianists.
In 1940 she gave the British premiere of Aram Khachaturian
Aram Khachaturian
Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...
's Piano Concerto in D flat
Piano Concerto (Khachaturian)
Aram Khachaturian's Piano Concerto in D-flat major, Op. 38, was composed in 1936. It was his first work to bring him recognition in the West, and it immediately entered the repertoire of many notable pianists....
, one of the pieces most closely associated with her. In 1944 she married Colin Defries, but they divorced in 1950. In 1951 she married Bennet Korn, an American television executive, and moved to the United States. Lympany very much wanted to start a family but she had two miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
s, and a son who died shortly after birth. She and Bennet Korn divorced in 1961. Some years later she became a close friend of the politician and amateur musician, Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
, and mutual friends expressed hopes that they might marry, but this did not happen.
After the war she became more widely known, performing throughout Europe and in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India. When living in New York, Lympany continued her concert and recording career. Lympany was a Steinway
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
pianist and participated in the Steinway Centenary Concert on 19 October 1953 in which ten Steinway pianists played a Polonaise by Chopin. Most famously the rehearsal of this piece was recorded and broadcast on Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
's television show at that time called Toast of the Town.
In 1969 Lympany was diagnosed with breast cancer and her left breast was removed. Three months after the operation she performed Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 4 for the Left Hand, Op. 53
Piano Concerto No. 4 (Prokofiev)
Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 4 in B-flat major for the left hand, Op. 53, was commissioned by the one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein and completed in 1931....
, at the Royal Festival Hall, London. She later had a second mastectomy
Mastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer...
but continued working and gained renewed popularity. In 1979, fifty years after making her debut, she performed at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
for Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and the following year she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE). In 1992 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order (DBE). She also received honours from the Belgian, French, and Portuguese governments. Moura - Her Autobiography, written with her cousin, author Margot Strickland, was published by Peter Owen in 1991.
In 1981 she established the annual Rasiguères Festival of Music and Wine, near Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
(for which the Manchester Camerata
Manchester Camerata
The Manchester Camerata is a British chamber orchestra based in Manchester, England. The orchestra was founded in the 1971–1972 season. A sub-group from the orchestra, the Manchester Camerata Ensemble, specialises in chamber music performances....
was resident orchestra), which ran for 10 years and also assisted Prince Louis de Polignac to establish, in 1986, the Festival des Sept Chapelles in Guidel
Guidel
Guidel is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Cemetery:The communal cemetery, containing 108 tombs from the World War II, has been listed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission...
, Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.
From the mid 1980s she was based in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
but she died in Gorbio near Menton
Menton
Menton is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Situated on the French Riviera, along the Franco-Italian border, it is nicknamed la perle de la France ....
, aged 88. Her archive was deposited in the International Piano Archive http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/IPAM/index.html at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/IPAM/IPAMlympany.html.
A succession of reissues of Lympany archive recordings has contributed to both maintaining her reputation and introducing her to post-LP generations including CDs issued by Dutton (Mozart K414 and K467), Ivory Classics
Ivory Classics
Ivory Classics is an American classical music record label governed by the Ivory Classics Foundation. The purpose of this foundation, which was established in 1998, is to "promote, through charitable and benevolent activities, and appreciation for the art of the piano through its work with the...
(Mendelssohn, Litolff, Liszt), Olympia (Rachmaninov and Prokofiev), Pristine Audio (Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No 2) and Testament (Rachmaninov Preludes).
Notable recordings
- BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, Intermezzi (EMIEMIThe 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...
) - BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward 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...
Piano Concerto No 1 in D, Op. 13 - ChopinFrédéric ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, The Complete Nocturnes (AngelAngel RecordsAngel Records is a record label belonging to EMI. It was formed in 1953 and specialised in classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score...
) - Chopin, 24 Preludes, Op. 28 (EratoErato RecordsErato Records is a record label founded in 1953 to promote French classical music. In 1992 it became part of Warner Bros. Records. In 1999 Erato launched a subsidiary Detour Records....
) - KhachaturianAram KhachaturianAram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...
, Piano Concerto (DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
) - ProkofievSergei ProkofievSergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, Piano Concerto No. 1 (Angel) - Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 3 (Decca)
- RachmaninoffSergei RachmaninoffSergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
, Piano Concerto No. 1 (Angel) - Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 2 (HMV)
- Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 (Decca)
- Rachmaninoff, 24 Preludes (EratoErato RecordsErato Records is a record label founded in 1953 to promote French classical music. In 1992 it became part of Warner Bros. Records. In 1999 Erato launched a subsidiary Detour Records....
) - Alan RawsthorneAlan RawsthorneAlan Rawsthorne was a British composer. He was born in Haslingden, Lancashire, and is buried in Thaxted churchyard in Essex.-Career:...
Piano Concerto No. 1 (HMV) - Saint-SaënsCamille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor (Pristine Audio) - SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
Piano Quintet in A "The Trout" - with principals of the London Philharmonic OrchestraLondon Philharmonic OrchestraThe London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
(EMI) - Litolff, Concerto Symphonique No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 102 (Ivory ClassicsIvory ClassicsIvory Classics is an American classical music record label governed by the Ivory Classics Foundation. The purpose of this foundation, which was established in 1998, is to "promote, through charitable and benevolent activities, and appreciation for the art of the piano through its work with the...
)