Firkusny, Rudolf

▪ 1995

      Czech-born U.S. pianist (b. Feb. 11, 1912, Napajedla, Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]—d. July 19, 1994, Staatsburg, N.Y.), had an elegant, patrician style and was a champion of the music of his compatriots; early in his career he also composed. As a child he began studies with Czech composer Leos Janacek; other preparation included the study of composition with Josef Suk and piano with Alfred Cortot and Artur Schnabel. Firkusny began performing as a child prodigy in the musical capitals of Europe in the early 1920s and made his debut in London in 1933 and in New York City in 1938. Escaping the Nazis, he had settled in New York by 1941 and later became a U.S. citizen. Although he was praised for his performances of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, he became best known as an interpreter of the Czech masters Bedrich Smetana, Dvorak, Janacek, and his friend Bohuslav Martinu, who wrote a number of works for Firkusny. He also frequently performed works by other 20th-century composers. He collaborated with orchestras, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, and was known especially for his performances of Dvorak's neglected piano concerto. Among his recordings were the complete piano works of Janacek. He taught at the Juilliard School, New York City, and in Aspen, Colo. After the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia at the end of the 1980s, Firkusny returned to his homeland to perform for the first time in some 44 years. He received a number of honours and was made a member of the Order of Tomas Masaryk, the Czechoslovak patriot and an early sponsor.

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