Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

July 30, 1921 in Salt Lake City, UT

Death

:

March 27, 2005 in Berlin, Germany

Period

:

Romantic

 

 

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

Grant Johannesen was an American classical pianist who was born on July 23, 1921, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the youngest of three children born to a musical family. His father, a violinist, and his mother, a pianist, were both members of the Utah Symphony Orchestra. Johannesen began playing the piano at the age of four and gave his first public performance at the age of six. Johannesen's talent was recognized early on, and he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia when he was just 13 years old. He studied under the renowned pianist Rudolf Serkin and graduated from the institute in 1941. After graduation, Johannesen began his professional career as a concert pianist. He made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1943, playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. The performance was a great success, and Johannesen quickly established himself as one of the leading pianists of his generation. Over the course of his career, Johannesen performed with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. He also performed in many of the world's most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Johannesen was known for his virtuosic technique and his ability to bring out the emotional depth of the music he played. He was particularly renowned for his interpretations of the music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms. In addition to his career as a performer, Johannesen was also a respected teacher. He taught at the Juilliard School in New York City and at the University of Utah, where he was a professor of music for many years. Throughout his career, Johannesen received many awards and honors. In 1953, he was awarded the prestigious Naumburg Award, which is given annually to outstanding young musicians. He was also a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Grant and the Guggenheim Fellowship. Johannesen's recordings were also highly acclaimed. He recorded extensively for RCA Victor and Columbia Records, and his recordings of the music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms are still considered to be among the finest ever made. Johannesen continued to perform and teach until his death in 2005 at the age of 84. He left behind a legacy as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, and his recordings and performances continue to inspire and delight audiences around the world.

More....