Ignaz Friedman

Ignaz Friedman ( also Ignacy or Ignace; actually Solomon Isaac Freudman; born February 13, 1882 in Podgórze ( Cracow), † January 26, 1948 in Sydney) was a Polish pianist and composer of world renown.

Life

The son of a musician began piano lessons at Flora Grzywinska in Krakow and studied philosophy at the university there. He then studied at the well-known piano teacher Teodor Leszetycki in Vienna and worked as his assistant. Compositional and musicological studies completed his education. Friedman's Vienna debut ( three piano concertos in one evening ) launched an international career in 1904. By his own estimate he gave a total of more than 2,800 concerts, including numerous duo recitals with the violinist Bronislaw Huberman. During a tour of Australia in 1940 and 1941, he decided to be a Jew, not to return to Europe, and settled in Sydney. Problems with his left hand forced him in 1943 to abandon the concert tours.

The Pianist

Friedman's interpretations are characterized by an extraordinary authority. His playing technical skills are equally impressive as that of Rosenthal, Godowsky or Lhévinne; He uses a wide dynamic range and agogisches without the musical balance to lose; typical of the period are frequent sales technical interventions, such as bass doublings. Small forms, for example, Mendelssohn's songs without words and Chopin's mazurkas, Friedman gives his sharpened sense of rhythm and sculptural design for true greatness.

Characteristic decisions of the pianist can be traced in his expenditure, in his complete edition of the piano works of Chopin for Breitkopf & Härtel.

The composer

In the tradition of " pianistes - Compositeurs " Friedman wrote over 90 works that have not, however, enforced in the repertoire. Typical are elegant miniatures for piano, lounge music in the best sense of how the once popular " snuff à musique " ( Op. 33 No. 3). In addition, a passacaglia ( Op. 44), etudes and operations and even songs, chamber music and a piano concerto.

Discography

Although numerous radio recordings of the musician have been lost, but many of his recordings have been reissued on CD. The most comprehensive offer comes from Naxos Historical ( five CDs with works by Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorak, Friedman himself, Gaertner, Gluck, Hummel, Liszt, Mendelssohn, mediator, Moszkowski, Mozart, Paderewski, Rubinstein, Scarlatti, Schubert, Shield, Suk and Weber).

Honors

In the November 7, 2013 a Berlin memorial plaque at his former home, Berlin- Wilmersdorf, Pariser Straße 21, revealed.