Birth

:

January 15, 1935 in St. Louis, MO

Death

:

June 20, 1991 in Pittsfield, MA

Period

:

Romantic

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Keyboard

 

Malcolm Frager was an American classical pianist who was born on February 25, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the youngest of three children and showed an early interest in music. His mother was a pianist and his father was a violinist, so music was always a part of his life. Frager began taking piano lessons at the age of four and showed remarkable talent from an early age. He gave his first public performance at the age of six and made his debut with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at the age of nine. He continued to study piano throughout his childhood and adolescence, and in 1951, he won the National Music Camp Piano Competition. In 1952, Frager enrolled at the Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied with Rosina Lhévinne. He quickly established himself as one of the school's most promising students and won several awards, including the Juilliard Concerto Competition in 1954. Frager made his professional debut in 1957, performing with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. He quickly gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist and began performing regularly with major orchestras around the world. One of Frager's most notable performances took place in 1960, when he performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 with the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Herbert von Karajan. The performance was widely praised and helped establish Frager as one of the leading pianists of his generation. Frager continued to perform and record throughout the 1960s and 1970s, earning critical acclaim for his interpretations of works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin. He also became known for his performances of lesser-known works by composers such as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Franz Liszt. In 1982, Frager won the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, which is awarded annually to outstanding classical musicians in the United States. The prize recognized Frager's exceptional talent and his contributions to the world of classical music. Tragically, Frager's career was cut short when he died of lung cancer on June 20, 1991, at the age of 56. He left behind a legacy of exceptional performances and recordings, and his contributions to the world of classical music continue to be celebrated today. Frager's recordings include a complete set of Beethoven's piano sonatas, as well as works by Mozart, Chopin, and Liszt. He was known for his technical precision and his ability to bring out the emotional depth of the music he played. In addition to his performing career, Frager was also a dedicated teacher. He taught at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and the University of Michigan, and his students included several notable pianists, including Yefim Bronfman and Kevin Kenner. Frager's legacy continues to be celebrated today, and his recordings remain popular among classical music enthusiasts. He is remembered as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, and his contributions to the world of classical music will continue to inspire future generations of musicians.

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