Samson François

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Samson Pascal François (May 18, 1924 - October 22, 1970) was a French pianist.

Born in Frankfurt (his father worked at the French consulate in that city), François studied in Paris with Alfred Cortot, Marguerite Long and Yvonne Lefébure. He was particularly admired for his performances of Chopin, Schumann, Debussy, and Ravel. Many of these interpretations are now available on compact disc. In addition, his short life and reckless behavior (characterized by lavish drinking and drug use) gave him a cult status.

Critic John Bell Young, in the St Petersburg Times of Florida, called François (on May 5, 2002) "a charismatic figure, an iconoclast and musical maverick", who, along with Long and Cortot, was "the most important pianist in postwar France. There was something of the swashbuckler about him; his playing was as daring as it was rhapsodic, but also notable for its uncompromising integrity and extraordinary intelligence."