Weissenberg Plays Stravinsky, Chopin, Prokofiev, Bach and Brahms
Monday 30th January, 8.30pm
As a tribute after his death in January 2012, STVDIO revisits this classic Alexis Weissenberg performance film. His spectacular technique and individual style made him one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century.
Born in Bulgaria, he and his mother were held in a Nazi concentration camp when he was 12 years old, and only escaped when a guard was taken aback with his accordion playing. After studying technique in Jerusalem and New York, Weissenberg went on to perform and teach around the world.
The recordings in this classic film were made in the 1960’s, and span the repertoire from Bach through Brahms, Chopin, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Scriabin. The film took two full weeks to shoot and used a specially designed piano, and was the reason Weissenberg was invited to play with the Berlin Philharmonic.
