Shura Cherkassky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shura Cherkassky
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Cherkassky with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1954
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| Born | 7 October 1909 |
| Died | 27 December 1995 (aged 86) London, England
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| Burial place | Highgate Cemetery, London, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Composer, pianist |
Shura Cherkassky (born October 7, 1909 – died December 27, 1995) was an amazing pianist from Russia and America. He was famous for playing romantic music with incredible skill. People loved his powerful yet beautiful piano sound. For many years, Shura lived in London.
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Growing Up and Learning Music
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Alexander Isaakovich Cherkassky was born in Odessa in 1909. At that time, Odessa was part of the Russian Empire. His family was Jewish and moved to the United States to escape the Russian Revolution.
Shura's first music lessons came from his mother, Lydia Cherkassky. She was a talented pianist herself and once played for the famous composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In the United States, Shura continued his piano studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. His teacher there was Josef Hofmann, another very famous pianist.
Before studying with Hofmann, Shura met Sergei Rachmaninoff, who was also a great composer and pianist. Rachmaninoff told Shura to stop performing for a couple of years. He also suggested Shura change how he held his hands on the piano. But Hofmann had different advice. He told Shura to keep performing concerts. This helped Shura feel very comfortable playing in front of an audience.
Hofmann also told Shura to practice for four hours every day. Shura followed this rule his whole life. He kept a huge collection of music ready to play, from Baroque to modern pieces. He studied with Hofmann until 1935. During this time, he also started traveling the world. He visited places like Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Russia, and Europe.
Shura Cherkassky performed actively until the very end of his life. Many of his best recordings were made during live concerts.
Life in California
In the 1940s, Shura Cherkassky moved to California. He played at the Hollywood Bowl with famous conductors like Sir John Barbirolli and Leopold Stokowski. He even played the piano music for a movie! It was Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata for the 1946 film Deception, starring Bette Davis.
He also played Stravinsky's Three Pieces from Petrushka for the composer himself. Stravinsky gave him a special tip: use the 'una corda' pedal for some loud parts. This would create a unique sound effect. During World War II, Shura didn't have as many concerts in California.
Settling in London
In 1946, Shura married Eugenie Blanc, but they divorced two years later. In 1949, he had a huge success in Hamburg, Germany. He played Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. This concert made him very popular in Germany and Austria, including the Salzburg Festival. This popularity lasted his whole life and showed everyone he was one of the best pianists.
After a concert in London in 1957, Shura's career really took off in the United Kingdom. His mother passed away in 1961, and after that, he decided to live in London. He stayed at The White House hotel until he died in 1995.
Traveling the World to Perform
Shura's career continued to grow. He played in all the biggest concert halls around the world. These included the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. He performed with all the world's greatest orchestras and conductors.
Shura loved to play spontaneously and didn't like to perform the exact same way every time. This meant some conductors found it tricky to work with him. They couldn't be sure that what they practiced would happen in the concert! Shura's performing career lasted over 70 years. But it was only in his later years that people truly saw him as one of the greatest pianists. He was an artist who loved to play from the heart, focusing on beautiful sound and all the amazing things a piano could do.
Shura Cherkassky passed away in London on December 27, 1995, at the age of 86. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery in London, England.
His Recordings
Shura Cherkassky made many recordings throughout his long career, starting in the 1920s. He recorded for different labels like RCA Victor, Vox, HMV, DG, Tudor, Nimbus, and Decca. He made his last recordings when he was 85 years old, just seven months before he died. These included some pieces by Rachmaninoff.
Music He Recorded
Here are some of the albums and pieces Shura Cherkassky recorded:
Recordings by BBC Legends
- Shura Cherkassky - Chopin (BBCL 4057–2)
- Shura Cherkassky - Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 3, Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2 (BBCL 4092–2)
- Shura Cherkassky / Sir Georg Solti - Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Cherkassky, Rimsky-Korsakov (BBCL 4160–2)
- Shura Cherkassky - Handel, Brahms, Berg, Prokofiev, Chopin (BBCL 4212–2)
- Shura Cherkassky - Beethoven Piano Concerto 5, Gershwin Piano Concerto (BBCL 4231–2)
Recordings by Decca
- Kaleidoscope - Piano Encores
- Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3 and others
Shura Cherkassky Live Series by Decca
- Vol.1 - Schubert . Chopin
- Vol.2 - 80th Birthday Recital from Carnegie Hall
- Vol.3 - Encores
- Vol.4 - Chopin: Sonata No.2 & 3
- Vol.5 - Liszt
- Vol.6 - Schumann
- Vol.7 - Scriabin, Stravinsky, Ravel, Alban Berg, Messiaen, Britten, Copland-Bernstein
- Vol.8 - Rachmaninoff, Brahms, etc.
- Anton Rubinstein - Piano Concerto No. 4 in D minor + Encores
Recordings by Deutsche Grammophon
- Tchaikovsky - Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
- Liszt - Orchestral Works (Cherkassky plays only Fantasia on Hungarian Folk tunes)
- Chopin - Polonaises
Recordings by Nimbus
- Shura Cherkassky (1909–1995) - Solo piano works by Chopin, Mussorgsky, Berg, Bernstein, Brahms, Schumann, Beethoven, Liszt, Stravinsky, Grieg and Rachmaninoff (6-CD Set)
- Chopin, Liszt - The B minor Sonatas
- The Art of the Encore
Images for kids
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1934 US passport issued to 23-year-old Shura Cherkassky
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Shura Cherkassky's passport page with an entry into Manchuria from 1935
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Shura Cherkassky 1963, photo dedicated on first of his three acclaimed Southern Africa tours organised by Hans Adler
