Students mourn a legendary piano teacher

Daniel Grimwood: Aged 19 – the lowest point in my life – I will never forget the kindness shown me by Peter Feuchtwanger (who died yesterday, aged 76). He quite literally resurrected me and without his guidance and generosity of soul I doubt I would be a musician today. He criticised perpetually (with characteristic vibrancy and charm), strove to make me realise my finest self, instinctively understood me, was a considerate listener, was a fountain of naughty jokes, never doubted me and proved to be far more than merely my piano teacher.  You haven’t died, Peter; your legacy lives with the vitality of every string set into vibration by the many pianists who’s lives you touched.

Bernd Sandner: I pay respect to one of the kindest people i have met in my life!
Peter Feuchtwanger was an extraordinary musician and human being, and has taught and influenced generations of students. He helped many people, who had lost their capability of playing piano, to recover and even surpass their own expectations.
In this often harsh and egocentric musical world, he was a gem, always friendly, open, warm, helping, insightful.
A master, detecting his students problems immediately and giving them the means to overcome these, he was teaching until his last days. Every student, visiting him in his London home would feel like a part of his family, loosing anxiety and gaining self-confidence.
I am grateful, to have had the chance to meet him and to profit from his wise and thoughtful instructions.
A good man in this troubled world. He will live on in our minds!
Thank you Peter Feuchtwanger!

Susanne Kessel:  I had my first lesson with him when I was 15 years old. THANK YOU! He meant the world to several generations of pianists & musicians on the whole planet. A piano philosopher and incredible inspiration for so many of us. He was a window into true music and into aesthetics of the 19. century. I love him. I would never call him a “teacher”, he was so much more to me. I will never stop talking about him and playing his music.

Andrew Kraus: Peter Feuchtwanger‘s death is on my mind this morning as I woke to a message from two of his other students on my Facebook feed. I will miss him. As with many others, he made an immensely positive impact on me and my playing, and I am doing my best to pass on what he taught to my own students. He was a genius and prodigy,and his abilities went beyond those required to play the piano in an extraordinary way himself. He also had the desire from a commendable generosity of Spirit as well as the the ability to nurture other musicians, technically and artistically. His Master Classes were a privilege and pleasure, all too rare, to be in a situation with a group of fine pianists who spent a week nurturing and encouraging each other instead of tearing each other down, a quality I attribute to his own generosity and kindness.. RIP Peter Feuchtwanger.

Sanja Stefanovic:

Petruschka  

You brought our souls to sing,
you taught us to forgive,
you gave us dignity and confidence,
you nurtured us with the beauty of the art,
you treated us equally,
you respected our differences,
you never judged us.