Birth

:

September 28, 1921 in Vienna, Austria

Death

:

January 30, 2017 in New York City, NY

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

Walter Hautzig was a renowned classical pianist who was born on October 28, 1921, in Vienna, Austria. He was born into a family of musicians, and his father was a well-known violinist. From a young age, Hautzig showed a keen interest in music, and he began playing the piano at the age of four. Hautzig's family moved to the United States in 1939, and he continued his musical education at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He studied under the tutelage of renowned pianist Rudolf Serkin, and he quickly established himself as a talented musician. In 1942, Hautzig made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. The performance was a resounding success, and it marked the beginning of Hautzig's career as a concert pianist. Over the next few years, Hautzig continued to perform with various orchestras across the United States, including the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He also began to establish himself as a solo artist, performing recitals in major cities across the country. In 1950, Hautzig won the prestigious Naumburg International Piano Competition, which helped to further establish his reputation as a world-class pianist. The competition was held at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and Hautzig's performance of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 32 was widely praised by critics and audiences alike. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Hautzig continued to perform and record extensively. He recorded a number of albums for the Columbia Masterworks label, including works by Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms. He also performed with some of the world's leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. One of the highlights of Hautzig's career came in 1964, when he performed at the White House for President Lyndon B. Johnson. The performance was part of a series of concerts organized by the White House, and Hautzig's performance was widely praised by the president and his guests. In addition to his performing career, Hautzig was also a respected teacher and mentor. He taught at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore for many years, and he also gave masterclasses and workshops at universities and music schools across the country. Hautzig continued to perform and record well into his later years, and he remained an active and influential figure in the classical music world until his death in 2005. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his generation, and his recordings and performances continue to be celebrated by music lovers around the world.

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