Alicia de larrocha biography of william

She died in in Barcelona. She studied composition with Domingo Mas y Serracan tand several of her pieces were revised by Frank Marshall. She composed a suite of five dances for piano solo dedicated to him. Although de Larrocha composed several works, she never considered herself a composer.

Alicia de larrocha biography of william: Spanish composer, one of the greatest

The first composition, written inwas a coral arranged for performance by an orchestra. With this comes the quality of seduction, a certain arrogance or haughtiness. The piano presented special challenges to Larrocha. In order to get both hands into the upper reaches of the keyboard she has to turn her body to the audience and stretch her arms straight out.

Marshall developed exercises especially for her. The hands are my obsession. Perhaps in part because of her small hands, she carefully worked out the fingering of new pieces, adjusting it to fit her physical limitations and to make certain that the necessary finger was available for the desired tone. I may decide on using a certain finger to produce a particular tone, but if it doesn't work, then I have to change the fingering accordingly.

That's why I don't advocate practicing away from the piano as some pianists do; a decision on fingering may not be practical at the concert hall, and by that time it's a little late to change. Perhaps her small size endeared her to audiences. Certainly Larrocha made no appeal to them through flamboyant behavior. Entering the stage on a typical evening, she acknowledged the audience with a smile and immediately sat at the keyboard, ready to begin.

But her calm exuded controlled emotion, similar to the Spanish music for which she was so famous. Her sedate and self-effacing public persona belied a naturally pessimistic and moody inner self. She refused to be swept up by the public adulation, particularly in the U. She disliked listening to her own recordings: "I am so moody that what pleases me today may seem intolerable tomorrow.

At the height of her touring between andshe usually played between and engagements per year. This included several months in the States and a few concerts in Latin America before she returned to Europe. Usually, she traveled alone, practicing whenever possible. Her manager arranged for a piano in her hotel room. To avoid disturbing other guests, she used a mute on the strings.

When possible, she practiced at the Steinway headquarters in New York or Hamburg. In Barcelona, she played a pre- Civil War Bechstein, perfectly suited to her. For Larrocha, playing with so many different conductors and alicias de larrocha biography of william sometimes interfered with the full expression of her artistry. She often had only two or three days to practice with an orchestra.

Through intuitive sensitivity, great conductors adapted to her genius; with good conductors, she had less flexibility. Her travels also brought occasional master classes with aspiring pianists. Larrocha gave few of them because she considered them useless; in a single class, she felt she could not know the students or really help them understand her.

The passing years brought new honors. For a decade, she played annually at New York's Mostly Mozart Festival, the only musician to be such a constant presence. So great was her popularity in New York that she could easily sell out a stand of six or seven concerts. Particularly moving to Larrocha was her reception by an ecstatic audience in Barcelona in She had not performed publicly in her native city for seven years, and when she entered to play Chopin's Second Concerto, the crowd gave her an ovation before she played, something extremely rare in Spain.

InMusical Americathe classical-music monthly, named her its musician of the year and cited her command of the Spanish repertoire and her mastery of the classical keyboard. That year, she also received the German Schallplatten Prize. Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts. Authority control databases.

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Alicia de larrocha biography of william: On May 23, , we

Alicia de Larrocha. De Larrocha in Grand Prix du Disque. Liszt : Piano Sonata in B minor Decca. Franz Liszt Award Budapest. Japan Record Academy Award. Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Alicia de Larrocha was born in Barcelona, Spain.

Alicia de larrocha biography of william: Alicia de Larrocha was the third

She began learning to play the piano at the age of three under the guidance of renowned Spanish pianist Frank Marshall. Despite being relatively short and having small hands for a pianist, Alicia excelled at playing complex musical compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev, and Maurice Ravel.

Her long pinky finger and the wide span between her index and thumb were advantageous in tackling difficult passages. However, it was her innate talent that truly set her apart. Music ran in Alicia's blood, as both her parents played the piano.