Solomon Cutner

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Solomon Cutner, CBE (6 August 1902 - 22 February 1988) was a British pianist known as Solomon.

Known almost universally in the musical industry by his first name, Solomon, who was born in the East End of London, was a child prodigy whose talent was recognised at the age of seven when, having had no formal tuition, he performed his own arrangement of the 1812 Overture on the family piano. He gave his first concerts in 1912 at the age of ten, retired from public performance in his teens and then resumed his career as an adult performer. He began making records in 1929. As a child he was sent to live with his teacher, Mathilde Verne, who had studied with Clara Schumann. It is documented that Verne abused and exploited her young charge. Solomon brought to his playing an effortless virtuosity, great respect for the printed score, and deep spirituality.

He toured abroad a good deal, particularly during and shortly after World War II, when he gave numerous much-cherished recitals in the United States and Australia. Known especially for his Beethoven, which has an almost legendary status, he was in the midst of completing a complete cycle of the sonatas for EMI when he suffered a devastating stroke in 1956, which paralyzed his right arm. He never recorded or performed in public again for the remaining 32 years of his life. His recordings of Mozart, Schumann, and Brahms are also highly regarded.

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1946.

He died in 1988, aged 85.

A biography, Solo: The Biography of Solomon by Bryan Crimp, was published by APR in 1994, ISBN 978-1870295048, and reissued in paperback by Travis and Emery in 2008, ISBN 978-1904331360.