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Rachmaninoff & Hofmann
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s tribute to Josef Hofmann, in dedicating his third piano concerto to him. Who was the first British pianist to play this notoriously difficult concerto? Clue? He was a pupil of Leopold Godowsky in Berlin and was from Liverpool. He also taught Simon Rattle.
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 181 min read
Puzzling: who was the conductor?
On 30 June 1969, Jorge Bolet gave a performance at Bloomington, Indiana, where he had just started teaching. He played Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30. Ralph Vaughan William's glorious Symphony No. 5 in D major was the other item on the programme. On the Palexa CD that came out, Charles Webb is assumed to be the conductor. Several discographies list him as being on the podium. However, The Indianapolis Star (25.6.1969) mentions that the conductor will
Blue Pumpkin
Feb 131 min read
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