Rudolf Serkin (March 28, 1903 – May 8, 1991) was an Austrian pianist. March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He was born in Eger, Bohemia (now Cheb, Czech Republic) to a Jewish Russian family. The family moved to Vienna when Rudi was nine, where he studied piano with Richard Robert and composition with Joseph Marx. (George Szell was also a pupil of Marx at the time.) Rudolf was hailed as a child prodigy, and he made his public debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at 12. He began a regular concert career in 1920, living in Berlin with violinist Adolf Busch and his family which included a then 3 year old daughter Irene whom Serkin would marry 15 years later. Throughout the 1920s and early 30s, Serkin performed all over Europe both as soloist and with Busch and The Busch Quartet. With the rise of Hitler in Germany, Serkin and the Busches who, although they were Catholics were disgusted by the Nazis, left Germany first for Vienna and then after the Anschluss, for Switzerland. Cheb (German: Eger) is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Slovenian: Dunaj, Croatian and Serbian: Beč Romanian: Viena, Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya;) Vienna is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Joseph Marx (b. ... George Szell, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1954 György Széll, best known by his Anglicised name George Szell (June 7, 1897 – July 29, 1970) was a conductor and composer. ... A child prodigy, or simply prodigy, is someone who is a master of one or more skill or art at an early age. ... The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (in German: Wiener Philharmoniker) is the best known orchestra in Austria and one of the best ensembles in the world. ... PENIS ... German troops march into Austria on 12 March 1938. ...

In 1935 Serkin made his first United States appearance at the Coolidge Festival in Washington, DC. The next year, he launched his solo concert career in the U. S. with the New York Philharmonic under Arturo Toscanini. The critics raved, describing him as "an artist of unusual and impressive talents in possession of a crystalline technique, plenty of power, delicacy, and tone purity." In 1937, Serkin played his first New York recital at Carnegie Hall. Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... The New York Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in New York City. ... Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867, Parma, Emilia-Romagna – January 16, 1957, New York City) was an Italian musician. ... Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in New York City located at 57th Street and 7th Avenue. ...

Seeing the war approaching, the Serkins and Busches emigrated to the United States in 1939. Serkin took the post of Director of the Curtis Institute of Musicin Philadelphia where he taught many of today's finest pianists until 1978, and in addition to homes there and later in New York, the extended family settled on a dairy farm in rural Guilford, Vermont. After the war, Serkin and Adolf Busch founded the Marlboro Music School and Festival near Brattleboro, VT, and Rudolf made many solo recordings with Columbia in the 1940s. The Curtis Institute of Music is a music school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. ... Guilford, Vermont Guilford is a town located in Windham County, Vermont. ... The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro, Vermont. ...

Serkin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, and, in March 1972, he celebrated his 100th appearance with the New York Philharmonic by playing Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1. The orchestra also named Serkin an honorary member of the Philharmonic's Symphony Society of New York, an elite musical society that includes Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, and Paul Hindemith. In 1986, he celebrated his 50th anniversary as a guest artist with the orchestra. The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States, considered the equivalent of the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of Romantic music, who predominantly lived in Vienna, Austria. ... Johannes Brahmss Piano Concerto No. ... Aaron Copland conducting. ... Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: ) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian-born composer of modern classical music. ... Paul Hindemith (first name pronounced pah-ool)(November 16, 1895 – December 28, 1963) was a German composer, violist, teacher, theorist and conductor. ...

Revered as a musician's musican and a father figure to a legion of younger players who came to the Marlboro Festival, he toured all over the world and continued his solo career and recording activities until illness prevented further work in 1989. He died of cancer at his beloved Guilford farm.

He and Irene were the parents of six children (one of whom died in infancy) including pianist Peter Serkin. Irene Busch Serkin died in 1998. Peter Serkin (born July 24, 1947) is an American pianist. ...

Awards and Recognitions

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance: The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance has been awarded since 1959. ...

• Mstislav Rostropovich & Rudolf Serkin for Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano in E Minor, Op. 38 and Sonata in F, Op. 99 (1984)

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (Мстисла́в Леопо́льдович Ростропо́вич) (born March 27, 1927) is Russian and a naturalized American cellist and conductor, considered to be one of the greatest living cellists. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of Romantic music, who predominantly lived in Vienna, Austria. ... The 26th Grammy Awards were held in 1984, and were broadcast live on American television. ...

External links

• Rudolf Serkin biography