Slenczynska plays Bach Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue BWV 903 (I)

Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903, composed cca. 1720; performed by Ruth Slenczynska cca. 1950.

PART I :
- Fantasia

PART II : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnLuVgl5x5Q
- Fuga

~~~

Ruth Slenczynska (1925)

American pianist. Before she was even born, her Polish immigrant father knew she would be a musician, and when he first saw her in a Sacramento hospital two hours after birth, he sobbed ecstatically over her sturdy wrists and padded fingertips. Twelve days later he confidently announced that she would "be one of the world's greatest musicians." He meant it...

From the time she was two years old, she was able to recognize and hum themes by Beethoven, Bach and Mozart in the correct keys.

Ruth's father was a frustrated violinist, but when she rebelled against this instrument at the age of three, pleading for the piano, he gave her what she wanted and she began her studies with her father. The very next morning he woke her at six, trotted her without breakfast to the piano, and her ordeal began. All day long, the metronome clicking back and forth, he taught the tot to play scales in time. It was not easy. "Father never gave up. He knew exactly how to handle the situation. Every time I made a mistake, he leaned over and, very methodically, without a word, slapped me across the face"

Ruth Slenczynska recalls how her father cursed her, kept her hungry and beat her into being a genius. Waking up at six oclock every morning, nine hours a day, seven days a week, she sat practicing in her petticoat at the keyboard until her teenage years, no matter who might be present, so as not to spoil her dresses with perspiration. Her mother's protests were useless. In all things the terrified child obeyed the man who, after saving her from drowning, told her: "I just saved your life. Your life belongs to me and me alone." Then, while she was still trembling with fear, he made her repeat ten times: "My life is yours. I must do as you say."

At four, in 1929, she gave her first concert. While rehearsing for it, she asked her father what would happen if she made a mistake. He told her that people would be there ready to let fly with rotten eggs and vegetables, demonstrated when she missed a note by throwing a ripe tomato at her. Ruth played brilliantly, had critics raving.

On a visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, where the family had settled, Josef Hofmann granted the four-year-old 20 precious minutes. Amazed, he listened to her for two hours, then got her a scholarship to Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music, offering to teach her himself. Although she received a few lessons from Hofmann, because of his busy concert schedule, she actually studied with Isabelle Vengerova. Her older classmates were Shura Cherkassky, Jorge Bolet and Samuel Barber. Despite this brief foray into a conservatory, her father Josef remained her primary teacher.

Later, through the efforts of the violinist Misha Elman, Bay Area socialites raised money for her studies abroad and Slenczynska took lessons from Egon Petri, Artur Schnabel, Alfred Cortot, Wilhelm Backhaus. Sergei Rachmaninoff said:
"In one year you will be magnificent. In two years you will be unbelievable... Would you like some cookies?"

Continued on PART II : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnLuVgl5x5Q

~~~

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Ruth
• Slenczynska
• Bach
• Chromatic
• Fantasy
• Fantasia
• Fugue
• BWV
• 903
• Fischer
• Gould
• Gulda
• Yudina

[noestetchynghando]

Ruth captures the floating melancholy, paramount recording !

[RemovdSande11]

fantastic playing. One of the best I have ever heard (playing this genius piece). Only Bach can make me speechless.

[gzcathycdy]

@junglejim66 I read her book which already translated into Chinese when I was in high school too. But never get to hear her recording till I've been in US two years ago and have the chance to log on Youtube. It's so sad that we can't watch Youtube in China.

[veloqis]

I love Ruth and have for many years. She is so immensely talented, and one of the kindest, gentlest and nicest persons anyone could ever meet.

[NordicHealer]

Very Clean, Fine, Refined, Mature playing and Ruth was just 25 when she recorded this.

[junglejim66]

@snaaptaker 50 years for me,also. I first heard of her in 1957 when her "Forbidden Childhood" was published. I was in high school, wrote to her and she graciously replied. I did my senior paper on her life. Heard her several times in concert 1962 to 1977.

A wonderful human being and a great artist.

[snaaptaker]

Superb! She is one of the best, and, I think, under-rated pianists.

Until recently, she has been nearly forgotten, but not by me. I've loved her playing for more than 50 years. Thank God she is finally showing up on YT.

And thank you, too.