Death of a fine pianist

Death of a fine pianist

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norman lebrecht

December 23, 2011

Roberto Szidon, the Brazilian pianist whom I first heard playing on the most verdant cover ever issued by DG

has died in Germany, aged 69. Obituary here.

Comments

  • Antonio Augusto says:
    December 23, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    I am really sad to hear it. Szidon was one of my music heroes. I heard him for the first time at Theatro da Paz, in the north of Brazil and never forgot his musicality and wonderful personality.

    Reply
  • Petros Linardos says:
    December 23, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    Here’s another obituary, in German:
    http://nachrichten.rp-online.de/regional/pianist-roberto-szidon-gestorben-1.2650711

    Reply
  • Besse Jean-Marc says:
    January 1, 2012 at 12:43 pm

    Roberto and Richard are my friends from more than ten years. Roberto was one of the persons the most sensible in music that I have met. With Richard they formed a couple ideal to answer music in globality. My knowledge in music is nos suffisant for enjoying the universality of the interpretation of Robrto, but what I have listened and could feel, was perfect.

    Reply
  • Liz Lawrence says:
    January 1, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    Roberto Szidon was my teacher at the Hochschule fuer Musik und Theater Hannover. He was a truly extraordinary pianist with phenomenal ability and possibly the best sound I have ever heard on the piano. He could sight-read anything you put in front of him. His devotion to the musical text was paramount and his insight/system with regards to tempo relations was outstanding and really made sense. I am not sure why his relation with DGG stopped – but their catalogue is poorer for it – Roberto was an uncompromising and idiosyncratic virtuoso pianist who always had something interesting and insightful to convey. He was also very funny, a most brilliant cook and a meticulous letter writer. I am sorry I did not keep in touch with him more diligently.

    Reply

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