Pianist father follows his daughter to eternity
RIPThe Soviet refugee pianist Anatol Ugorski died this morning at the age of 80.
Settling in Germany, he was vastly respected as a Beethoven pianist, despite – perhaps because of – a tendency to take extremely slow tempi.
His daughter Dina Ugorskaja acquired even greater authority in Beethoven. Her last recordings, stricken with cancer, are legends among Beethoven interpreters. Dina died four years ago this month, aged 46. Both father and daughter earned a perpetual place in the pantheon.
RIP. An unusual but memorable artist.
Funny you mention the slow tempi. He visited New Zealand in 1997 (I had to look that up to be sure) and performed the Scriabin Piano Concerto with the NZSO under Gunther Schuller. It was a mesmerising performance and still a reference memory for the work for me. His encore was the Scriabin Etude for the Left Hand which he took slower than most but it emphasised the harmonics (I think) and was very elegant.
I am sorry to heard of this. However, please, please don’t contribute further to the disintegration of the English language: “Her last recordings, stricken with cancer..” She was stricken with cancer, not the recordings, I would hope.
As far as slow tempi are concerned, I would like to hear more of that, as too many conductors and performers are treating Beethoven as if he were a New Yorker trying to catch the last subway of the evening.
This, because too many take the metronome readings in his scores as Gospel, not taking into account that they might have been based on faulty machinery, and therefore inaccurate.
Great insight on your. I completely agree with you on all points including your comments on the English language and their tempos! Bravo! As a New Yorker, I love the metaphor relating the Beethoven tempos as catching the last subway. I applaud you.
We seem to be back in the age of excessive speed shows brilliance. Afraid not. The charm, the intricacies are totally lost in a flurry of sound, often lacking clarity.
Save your excessive tempi for your scales, arpeggios & the like. Today I heard Bach, Invention #8 in F played at such a horrendous speed the voicing was totally lost.
Let the music speak.
Let the music have clarity.
You are not playing for one of the Indy 500 car races, after all.
Could you kindly correct the numerous typos in this post–much appreciated! While often esoteric, provocational and contradictory, the best of Ugorski’s interpretations are utterly inspired and inspirational. His cantabile legato, sound production and touch are stuff of legends. What a loss…
A sad day for music — his Scriabin Concerto with Boulez is filled with beauty. RIP
Music can open the gateway to eternity.
Absolutely !! It NEVER DIES ! Music is the heart of everyone ! It speaks true feelings ❤️
What a tragedy it must have been for him to have lost his daughter, who was, as you correctly point out, already a very good Beethoven pianist at the time of her death. And while Ugorski’s own interpretations of Beethoven were highly idiosyncratic, he somehow made sometimes extremely slow tempi work in the Diabellis, Op. 126 bagatelles and, especially, the arietta of Op. 111. A phenomenally talented and always interesting pianist who did not record nearly enough. Will be dearly missed.
Very sad news. I feel Ugorsky is under appreciated here in the States. I loved his Scriabin concerto recorded on DG.
Yes, I need to find recordings because as said, neither of them known in the States. Both important losses. Condolences sadness at your loss.
One of the best Davidbundlertanze ever !!
RIP
It is wonderful that these two great musicians take tempi a bit slower than many pianists. Music needs to be able to truly “speak,” while allowing the ear to fully listen to and internalize the wonder of what is listened to.
He was a pianistic poet and magician . I find the true spirit of the music in his performances.