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The Slipped Disc daily comfort zone (68): Nina Simone reverts to Bach

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norman lebrecht

May 22, 2020

Ah, what a pianist she was.

Anything she played, she crossed all generic borders.

Comments

Anon says:

May 23, 2020 at 12:26 am

Really great. Thanks for sharing.

Fliszt says:

May 23, 2020 at 5:38 am

It seems Nina Simone was unaware of Natalie Hinderas (1927-1987) who was a prominent African-American pianist. She performed with many great orchestras, including the NY Philharmonic under Boulez. In fact her 1987 NYPO engagement with Slatkin (Ginastera Concerto) didn’t occur due to her death.

Kevin Scott says:

May 28, 2020 at 4:33 am

Or, for that matter, George Walker (1922-2018), best known as a composer (and the first African-American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1996) who was trained to be a concert pianist and made his debut with orchestra in 1946 when he won the Philadelphia Youth Auditions and performed Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.

Here is Dr. Walker performing Brahms’ second piano concerto with Howard Hanson conducting the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeR2zKKVV6Y&t=65s

Reply

Jimbo says:

May 23, 2020 at 9:03 am

She was truly. Magnificent. I recall her arriving very late onstage at a concert and when the presenter introduced her as Miss Nina Simone, she replied … Doctor Nina Simone!!!