Witold Małcużyński
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Witold Małcużyński (August 10, 1914 near Warsaw - July 17, 1977 Mallorca) was a Polish pianist who specialized in Chopin. Brother of Karol Małcużyński, politician and journalist.
He began playing the piano at the age of 10 an eventually studied at the Warsaw Conservatory.
Originally he intended to study law but switched to music, studying under a pupil of Busoni. n 1936, he received an invitation to study under Ignacy Paderewski, former prime minister of Poland and one of the great Romantic pianists of the "Golden Age". Małcużyński's playing was marked by great passion and poetry. In 1937 he met his future wife, Colette Gaveau, French pianist.
When World War II began he was in France. He joined Polish Army there and together with the artistic-propaganda section visited Polish military camps. After the capitulation of France he together with his wife escaped to Portugal, where he surprisingly met Grzegorz Fitelberg, well-known conductor. Fitelberg offered him a tournée in South America. Małcużyński went to Argentina in October 1940. In April 1942 he relocated to the United States. Essential to his American career was famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who initially helped him with organizational issues. After the war he moved to Switzerland where he lived.
He died in 1977 and was buried in the Powązki Cemetery, Warsaw, Poland.
[edit] References
- Wolny, Marcin. "Rocznica śmierci Witolda Małcużyńskiego". Forum Polonijne 4 (2007): 38. ISSN 1234-2807.
[edit] External links
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