Vladimir de Pachmann
Vladimir of Pachmann, also de Pachmann or Pachmann ( born July 27, 1848 in Odessa, Ukraine, † January 6, 1933 in Rome) was a Russian pianist with German or Austrian, possibly Jewish roots. Pachmann was both to be particularly sensitive playing Chopin famous as well for his unusual behavior on stage and in other public appearances.
Origin and family
Pachmanns father Valentin ( † 1878) was professor of Roman law at the Lyceum in Odessa. He had studied at the University of Vienna or Prague and was a gifted amateur cellist. Its origin is unknown. Pachmanns Mother Anastasia is referred to as Turkish Countess, who was captured by Russian troops in the Turkish wars at the age of six years and was handed a Russian countess to education. The couple married when she was 14 and Valentine 24 years old. The couple had 13 children, of whom nine survived.
The noble attribute of or later de Pachmann had Vladimir Pachmann probably gained themselves. Three of his brothers were Russian officers, who all did not lead this attribute in the name.
Pachmann married in April 1884 his pupil, the English pianist, born in Australia Annie Louisa Margaret (Maggie ) Okey ( 1865-1952 ). The couple had three sons, the youngest, Victor, died as a child in St. Petersburg and Adrian (* 1886 † 1937) and Lionel (* 1887). On August 3, 1895, the marriage ended in divorce. In her second marriage, she married the French lawyer Fernand Labori who was known by the Dreyfus Affair. Pachmann lived from 1905 with his secretary Francesco Pallottelli together.
Life and work
Pachmann got his first music lessons from his father. He studied at the Conservatory since 1867 the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna (now the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna ), piano with Josef Dachs and theory with Anton Bruckner. Already at the conservatory, he joined with Liszt 's Piano Concerto at the masterpiece and praised him with encouraging words. However, when Pachmann heard playing Carl Tausig, he retired eight years to continue to practice.
In 1878 he went to Leipzig, where he gave performances and also played with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Carl Reinecke. But his performances in Leipzig and more in Berlin, leaving him a dissatisfaction so that it no longer occurred for two more years. It was not until 1882 he undertook regular and very successful tours through Europe and the United States. Upon his triumphant tour of America in 1890, he returned frequently there and gave his last concert in 1925 at Carnegie Hall.
Pachmanns unique touch and sound was the result of a technique that stemmed entirely on free wrists and fingers without tension and a finger independence itself. His fingers looked in a silent film of 1920 as made of rubber.
He was a very successful pianist, but even during his lifetime and still controversial. His pianistic qualities are occupied, but also his penchant for exaggerated self-presentation. Visitors at home he received in an old dressing-gown, he wanted to have inherited from Chopin, who was but with appropriate wear replaced with another similar.
To be his stage fright Lord, he had grown accustomed to during his presentation to talk with the audience. This quirky deposits at his concerts, he contributed in the English-speaking world the nickname " Chopinzee ", a play on words from Chopin and Chimpanzee, Chimpanzee so that he missed the American critic James Huneker. He managed one hand, to bring through his gentle and extremely sensitive piano playing audience to tears, on the other hand angry and he amused also parts of the audience through his antics. George Bernard Shaw described him thus: "He gave his well-known mime presentation, accompanied by Chopin's music."
He was a great admirer of Leopold Godowsky and when he. , The end of Chopin's Étude Op 10 No. 5 Godowsky played in the style he called the audience ' Godowsky what the author! '.
From Pachmann numerous historical photographs are preserved. In February 1906 he took on 22 plays for the Welte-Mignon reproducing piano. He was the first major pianist, who received in 1907 the Gramophone and Typewriter Company in London gramophone records. Then he took in America with the Victor talking machine company and also for Columbus plates.
Honors
- Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society, London ( 1916)
- Dannebrog Order, severity not known