Americans mourn a gentleman pianist
UncategorizedInstitutions and individuals are saddened by the loss of André Watts. Lamentably, 24 hours after his death, no US newspaper or media organisation has reported it. When Leonard Bernstein was around, André was a household name. Here are some responses:
NY Phil: The New York Philharmonic is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of André Watts, a virtuosic pianist, exquisite interpreter, and warm and engaging musical partner. His more than 100 NY Phil concerts, beginning with his debut — at age 16, in 1963, on a nationally televised Young People’s Concert (YPC) conducted by Leonard Bernstein — through 2012 included US tours and the Concerts in the Parks. Still, the YPCs continued to hold a special place in his heart; in fact, he had been scheduled to join the NY Phil’s celebration of the series’ centennial this coming November. Reflecting on his rich relationship with the Orchestra, Watts once said: “That’s why I have a career!” To that we can only say, it was our honor.
Carnegie Hall: We remember pianist André Watts, who made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1966 with the American Symphony Orchestra and conductor Leopold Stokowski. Watts returned more than 40 times with major American and international orchestras, as well as in solo recitals.
Lang Lang: Extremely saddened to hear of the sudden passing of André Watts. A wonderful friend and incredible pianist. My thoughts are with his family.
Philadelphia Orchestra: While living in Philadelphia, Watts made his debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at a children’s concert at the age of ten under the direction of Eugene Ormandy. Watts went on to collaborate with each subsequent music director of the Orchestra, including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, performing at his debut concert in 2008. He frequently performed with the Orchestra at the Academy of Music and in Verizon Hall and joined the ensemble for its summer residency in Saratoga Springs, NY, and at the Robin Hood Dell and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts. Watts also gave a special performance with the Orchestra at the United Nations in 1977 and was the featured soloist at several Opening Night concerts. A true virtuoso with a caring spirit, he captivated audiences with his performances of works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Brahms, Gershwin, Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Saint-Saëns, and more. Watts made history performing the first full-length recital broadcast nationally in the history of television in 1976. He received the 1988 Avery Fisher Prize, and in 2011, was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President Barack Obama. He will be remembered for his musical genius, warmth and generosity, pathbreaking career, and passion for inspiring the next generation of musicians.
Boston Symphony: We were lucky to have André perform 59 times with the BSO, including many regular appearances at Tanglewood and collaborations with noted guest conductors Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur, Edo de Waart, Thomas Dausgaard, Dennis Russell Davies, Robert Spano, James DePreist, Alan Gilbert, Hans Graf, and Jeffrey Tate, among others. His final performance with the orchestra came in 2006: Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with conductor Ludovic Morlot. We will greatly miss André’s exceptional musicianship, warm spirit, and friendship. But we are grateful to know that his legacy will live on in the memories of his many fans around the world and for generations though his outstanding recordings.
CSO: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in grieving the loss of legendary American pianist André Watts, a frequent guest both in Orchestra Hall and at the Ravinia Festival for over 45 years
Presenter Dennis Polkow: This one hurts. André Watts was a phenomenon that made a deep impression on me and myriads of other young pianists back in the day. I heard him countless times in recital and in concert and he never failed to disappoint. When he released some recordings of late Liszt piano works for the Liszt death bicentennial in 1986, we spent a memorable afternoon together for an interview backstage at Orchestra Hall when he was performing Liszt with Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that I will never forget. He made the case — at the piano, mind you — for the late Liszt being the stepping stone between the breakdown of tonality in Wagner and the Second Viennese School of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern. Meeting idols can be risky but André was warm, welcoming, eloquent, insightful and inspirational.
Pianist Anna Geniushene: Saddened to hear about a death of great pianist, Andre Watts. Was obsessed with his recordings for a while and learnt a lot from his artistry. Today’s concert at Minnesota Beethoven Festival is dedicated to his memory.
Teacher Johnathan Dunn: André Watts, renowned concert artist/pianist passed away. My heart is sad to hear of his passing but grateful for all of the opportunities I’ve had to sit and talk with him as a child/young man. As a young Black child, I aspired to be a concert pianist just like him. His presence on the world stage served as a force that affirmed that I too could do the same. For so many Black and Brown students or kids from underrepresented people groups, our ability to break through barriers or enter White spaces is made possible thanks to the presence of those who have gone before us. In seeing someone who looks like us, we begin to see that same possibility in us. André Watts was that person for me.
Author Marcia Butler: What can one say about Andre Watts? Not only was he an incredible pianist and deep musician, he was one of the very first superstars, a title well deserved throughout his long career. I also knew him to be a kind and generous person. In fact so kind and so generous, that he invited me to perform with him on a chamber music tour across the US. I pinched myself the entire time for my good fortune. He was funny and good natured and very, very real. What a magnificent human and profoundly important musician we have lost. Rest In Great Peace, dearest, Andre. And all love to his wife, Joan.
Educator Wayne F. Goodson: I am truly saddened by the news that one of my musical idols has passed. As a child, there was no cable just whatever channels we could pick up with rabbit ears” We could pick up ETV well and I was first introduced to this legend named Andre Watts, pianist — on the show Mr. Roger’s neighborhood and I was totally in tune with their conversation. Wow, someone who looks like me can truly play a style of music I did not think people of my race played at all at that time. Man,what a mind blowing discovery as a child back in the day. MR. Watts, your musical legacy still lives on I still have the album “Watts by George” that I first purchased many years ago. I MUST Digitize this recording so that I can continue to be inspired by it. RIP Maestro. job well done.
Pianist Sir Stephen Hough: I’m so sad to hear of the death of André Watts. He was a great pianist and a wonderful, warm-hearted man.
Great artist. I have seen last year a superb concerto he did with Boston and Ozawa from the 70’s on YouTube
” Lamentably, 24 hours after his death, no US newspaper or media organisation has reported it.”
I doubt it’s a snub and more likely that nobody has informed the Associated Press.
The way news like this is usually disseminated throughout the US Media is that the AP is notified, they write a short story, and then its beamed out to every news agency. That notifies them, and they either run the AP story or write their own. And news agencies are more than happy to let the AP do the legwork to confirm the death (which is why they wait for the AP story to be published).
… and no obit in either the Philadelphia Inquirer or the New York Times. Inexcusable.
If either paper had not prepared an advance obit (rarely done with people in their 70’s these days, unless they have some warning of serious ilness), it takes a couple of days to research and write an accurate obit.
Aaaand… here you go: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/arts/music/andre-watts-dead.html The obit contains 1705 words, 2 pictures, 2 links to Youtube. And on the front page of the online edition. Still inexcusable?
Sadly, even before the cancer that killed him, it seems that Watts was afflicted with health problems. As a child I remember watching his young peoples’ concert appearance, and being aware of the excitement that swirled around him. Then in recent decades one hardly, if ever heard of him; there must be a younger generation of concertgoers with whom his name barely registers. He has not appeared with the New York Philharmonic since 2012, with the Boston Symphony since 2006, and in Carnegie Hall since 2017, and that was only a single rendition of an early Mozart piano concerto with Orpheus. I, too, am surprised that there has been no coverage of his passing by the American daily press.
Inevitable but still sad news. If I were to nominate one André Watts recording for special attention (no easy task with such a large discography) it would be his “live” recital from Tokyo, Japan, on CBS/Sony Classical: Scarlatti, Haydn, Brahms, Ravel and Debussy.
Many years ago there was a summer when all the major US orchestras that had radio broadcasts seemed to feature André Watts and on all of those broadcasts he played Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. My father and I always listened to all of them of course but while it was one of his signature pieces it was getting a little disappointing to hear the same concerto. Fortunately the Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts featured artist interviews and Watts said he was dedicating that summer to learning new repertoire, so he cut back sharply on his engagements and decided to perform just one concerto so that he would not be distracted from his main goal. That always struck me as an interesting and appropriate approach.
Amen on Mr. Watts’ Tokyo recital CD.
I discussed that project in detail with him when I interviewed him. I was the founding Classical Music Editor of Wayne Green’s DIGITAL AUDIO magazine (the name was later changed to “CD Review”).
My recollection is that Mr. Watts told me that he had hit a wrong note–not even he could remember what it was; perhaps a B instead of a B-flat. I recall (this was in early 1984) his telling me that the engineering crew offered him the option of recording an insert after the audience had left.
However, Mr. Watts told me that he had vivid memories of the kerfuffle (my word not his) that eventuated when it became known that a member of the audience had secretly recorded Mr. Horowitz’ “Historic Return” concert, and thereby could prove post-hoc editing punch-ins.
Therefore, Mr. Watts told me that he decided that rather editing the performance, he decided to add that entire piece to his next recital, which, he said, “made for a very long program.”
So, as far as I know, that CD was compiled from several concert performances; but I have good reason to believe that if there were splices within pieces, Mr. Watts did not have anything to do with them.
BTW, today I would never crack such a joke in public; but, I opened the interview with my observation that he opened his recital CD by playing Scarlatti on a 9-foot grand piano. I then asked him, “Has the Original Instrument Mafia advised you that you might want to have someone else start your car for you?” He laughed and said it was very funny, but: No.
Of course, the print article ran and someone wrote in to the Editor to state that “not all Italians are like that.”
RIP to a gentle soul.
john
Sad indeed. I heard him in my very first classical music concert playing the Liszt Piano concerto No 1 in 1967. It was in Mumbai during a tour with Los Angeles PO/Mehta.
Still looking for something in the N** Y*** T**** more than a day after the announcement. They HAVE managed to post an obit of some who was apparently “a longtime linchpin of the San Diego underground music scene”.
Rick Froberg passed on June 30th
There is an extensive obit in the edition of the NYT that we get here in Milwaukee (Saturday July 15) and perhaps they were waiting for a day of the week when they could give it the column inches it deserves.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/arts/music/andre-watts-dead.html?
Dateline July 14
I have loved his pianism since the late 1960’s and attended all his London concerts from 1970 onwards – the last was, I think, the MacDowell 2nd Concerto with the Bournemouth Symphony and Andrew Litton.
I first met him in a very wet Dewsbury of all places in 1983 when I went backstage to see him after a superb performance of Rachmaninov 2 with the BBC Philharmonic under Bryden Thomson. As always he was utterly charming.
I lived and worked in USA from 1993-96 and was able to attend a number of his concerts in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Pasadena. I went backstage to see him a number of times. He was always such a gentleman.
He came to the UK far too rarely. A few years ago, I tried to persuade him to come to the UK to give a recital at a small festival that I helped organise in Codsall in Staffordshire He was very gracious in his understandable declination – financially it would not make sense – he said he also needed some concerto engagements to justify the cost and feared he would not get them. I then said he and Joan should come anyway and as well as playing for us for once just have a vacation and enjoy discovering England. He liked the novelty of the idea but sadly could still not be tempted.
We kept in email touch. A wonderful man. Sympathies to Joan
I met André summer of 1964 at Aspen…finally had the chance to collaborate with him with the Tulsa Philharmonic in 1983 in Brahms B-flat. The MacDowell was a piece he played wonderfully, there always seemed to be one major American pianist each generation who took it seriously. A wonderful colleague and a real Mensch.
Please visit The Mind To Music Project (www.themindtomusicproject.com). The MacDowell is the piece Andre chose to submit.
So sad to hear this. I thought he had more years left. As I grew up he was always there gazing at me from records in stores but I never heard him live.
Some may enjoy this lovely moment from one of his concerts in the 80s. So brave!
https://youtu.be/BGfreVK9Q4g
Heaven adds another incredibly gifted musical genius to the most perfect orchestra ever assembled! Now he will play painlessly for all eternity. That is the obit he truly deserves!
Obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
https://www.inquirer.com/arts/philadelphia-orchestra-concert-andre-watts-leonard-bernstein-20230714.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/arts/music/andre-watts-dead.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=Obituaries
The Philadelphia Inquirer has an obit up now – https://www.inquirer.com/arts/philadelphia-orchestra-concert-andre-watts-leonard-bernstein-20230714.html.
I appreciate that Peter Dobrin took the time to research and write an obituary that is specific to Watts’ connection to Philadelphia.
Andre first lived in near same neighborhood as my grandparents (the Overbook area of Philadelphia) and my mom fondly told the story of her brother, a gifted pianist, bringing home his friend from school “Andy Watts” for dinner one evening. Andre sat down at my grandparents piano that evening, he was a 9 or 10 year old boy at the time. He told them he had played with the Philadelphia Orchestra and they offered him to play for them on their baby grand in their little Philadelphia rowhome living room. What they heard was beyond special and they still talked about 50 years later before their own passing. And my uncle – who ended up making a good living playing jazz and nightclubs as a young adult – always said that was the night as an 11 year old boy he realized he wasn’t going to have the great career he’d dreamt of as a concert pianist!
Also, Watts’ mother (a white woman) reportedly wrote my grandparents a lovely note thanking them for welcoming their son, a black boy, into their home, which, back then, was a special and meaningful. We are Italian and my grandparents never judged anyone and welcomed all. I understand Watts’ mother was a lovely woman, and his gracious personality is very much reflected in how he was raised. My uncle and Watts continued to exchange letters into their teenage years after Watts’ career took off, but I understand they did eventually lose touch.
A special man. RIP.
If American public television was half as dedicated to promoting our best culture as they keep telling us they are, they would take this occasion to dig up and rebroadcast a few dozen of Mr. Watts concert videos over a few months time. Maybe create a one or two hour bio. That’s in a better world. But they aren’t, so they won’t. Too bad. Jeffrey Brown (PBS news hour) would rather cover a “roots music” revival in someone’s barn attended by 29 people 29 miles from Tulsa.
I met him as a ten-year-old in Cincinnati. In his turtleneck and blazer, he seemed more movie star than classical musician. He changed my world. I am ever grateful.
Of course it’s not reported in newspapers: they are busy taking about those useless Hollywood actors and their void-oriented life rather than acknowledging somebody’s talent and contribution to Music.
The passing of a great with the loss of Andre Watts. How sad that it is not covered but drowned out by all the media psycho-babble. Rest assured the people, at least in my generation recognize and appreciate his great contribution to music and the arts.
Gaere MacDonald
An Englishman
I have followed Andre Watts from afar. From the islands to the US….patterning my love for the piano after his enthusiastic and inspirational style and talent…may light perpetual shine on him in his eternal rest. God grant him peace.
I am a clarinetist. I attended a concert to hear a famous clarinetist perform one of the Brahms sonatas. I cannot for the life of me remember the clarinetist, but I remember that Andre Watts was the pianist – he totally wowed me!
I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Andre Watts. He was one of the great ones. I had the pleasure to hear him a few times in D.C. He will be missed! R.I.P. Mr. Watts.
“I heard him countless times in recital and in concert and he never failed to disappoint.”
Oops! If Mr Polkow had used plain words, instead of trying to flower up the language, he wouldn’t have made this embarrassing mistake.
André and I were friends/fellow students of Mme. Rosina Lhevinne in Aspen in ’64; he was 18, I 14, and was he ever sweet and kind, as he would always be when I’d see him after his concerts/recitals over the ensuing years.
Following one of his lessons with Mme. L. we both got drenched in a sudden rainstorm (he in his newly-bought 3-piece suit—which he was none-too-pleased about!).
His Schubert Wanderer Fantasy & Liszt Czardas Macabre (from his NYC debut recital), Liszt Sonata in his early years were thrilling, risk-taking interpretations, and I shall forever cherish the memory of his gentleness and articulate, strong personality. Deepest condolences to all his loved ones…☯️
America today is shitty place filled with morons and the culture and especially classical music is the very last thing they care about. They are intentionally trained to be culturless. Only US and Canada don’t have Ministry of culture because there are no culture at all. And classical music (and music at all) has been bring to US in the beginning of the 20 century by Jewish emigrants from Russia. What joke, Russia cultivate America… So, no any wonder that dead of such great performer has passed unobserved.
He was the first concert pianist I ever saw perform. He let the Beethoven speak through him, no special gesticulating. He was a quiet, special virtuoso. I hope the lack of notice in the press does not mean he won’t receive the memorialization he deserves.
I was provoked to see and hear him play the Phoenix Symphony many years ago. Excellent!
Never heard back from Jake Tapper or Dana Bash at CNN regarding my plea for coverage regarding Andre Watts’ passing