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

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

PART I : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2ASFGVFkZU
- Fantasia

PART II :
- Fuga

~~~

Ruth Slenczynska (1925)

(Continued from PART I)

Miracle or Midget? As she began concertizing around Europe to cheering crowds at six, some listeners refused to believe that what they heard came from what they saw. In Berlin distinguished critics got down on all fours to examine her piano for the mechanical contraption that might explain the miracle. In Copenhagen the Danish press had her examined by a doctor to certify that she was really a child and not a midget; but New York critics wildly reached for their superlatives after her Town Hall debut at eight. Josef Hofmann, after hearing Slenczynska in this recital, told:
"She knows what she is doing every minute of the time. It is amazing!"

A year later in 1934, she filled an entire cancelled tour of Paderewski; she had her story published in all the major newspapers, received floral tributes from Queen Astrid of Belgium, Queen Marie of Romania, King Christian of Denmark; and she earned more money than the President of U.S., making more than $75,000 a year for three years. Her musical career was to last another six years before she came to the decision to withdraw from the concert stage.

When she heard her father say in an unguarded moment; "There is only one thing in this world that counts and that is money, and I teach Ruth to play Beethoven because it brings in the dollars", she was old enough to know that he was not the musician he claimed to be.

When her father took over her training completely, she started to play music she did not understand with false phrasing, exaggerated rhythms and distorted emotions. A Town Hall concert climaxed the tension between father and daughter. The critics called her "a burned-out candle." She was 15.

After that disaster, she broke with her father, stopped playing the piano and started the long process of turning herself into a normal human being. She had to work at odd jobs to put herself through the University of California, Berkeley where she earned a degree in psychology. She fell in love with a fellow student, and at 19 told her father that they were getting married. He flew into a rage, threw them out of the house.

Slenczynska then served as a professor of music at the College of Our Lady of Mercy in California. She returned to the concert stage at the Carmel Bach Festival in 1951. This led to a performance with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops in San Francisco. Later she received the invitation to go on a tour with Boston Pops the following winter for a three months period, performing every night, and on weekends twice a day. With the suggestion of Artur Rubinstein she accepted the invitation; three months of touring became three years and she gave more than 360 performances with Boston Pops a record number of appearances by one artist with an orchestra.

In 1958, she returned to Town Hall to celebrate her Silver Jubilee. The same year she crossed U.S. performing in 56 cities, in 20 States, with appearances with six major symphony orchestras.

Slenczynska has played more than 3000 recitals all over the world. Although she got retired from the stage at the age of 70, she still maintains an active teaching schedule at Southern Illinois University, conducting workshops and leading master classes.

~~~

Category:

Music

Tags:

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

[teamcrumb]

i love when a video has only one photo . . . so its not a video, its a photo that exists as long as the lovely music does. Thank you so much for uploading.

[snaaptaker]

Again, superb!