Sad news: Death of a harpsichord legend
mainThe Paris-based Polish harpsichordist Elisabeth Chojnacka has died, aged 78.
After graduation from the Chopin academy in 1962, she moved to Paris where she established a niche at the heart of the modernist movement. More than 80 composers wrote for her instrument, among them Ligeti, Xenakis, Nyman and Gorecki.
She was phenomenal.
I am deeply saddened to hear this; Elisabeth Chojnacka was an extraordinary musician and her recordings – particularly the ground-breaking ones of Ligeti (Hungarian Rock and the wonderful, wonderful Continuum) will always live in memory: I always felt that Chojnacka had a direct hand in the inception of these wonderful compositions and thus in the reinvigoration (if that were needed) of what the harpsichord could do in the hands of such a consummate performer.