Frank, Claude

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Frank, Claude

Frank, Claude, esteemed German-born American pianist and pedagogue, father of Pamela Frank; b. Nuremberg, Dec. 24, 1925. After the consolidation of power by the Nazis, he went with his family to Paris in 1937; from there they fled to Lisbon and finally reached safety in the U.S. in 1940. In 1944 he became a naturalized American citizen. Following training with A. Schnabel (piano) and Dessau (theory and composition) in N.Y. (1941–44), he pursued composition studies with Lockwood (1946–48) and attended Koussevitzky’s conducting course at the Berkshire Music Center in Tangle-wood (summer, 1947); he also attended Columbia Univ. In 1947 he made his N.Y. recital debut. After appearing as a soloist with the NBC Sym. Orch. in 1948, he toured as a soloist with various other orchs., as a recitalist, and as a chamber music player. He also devoted time to teaching. In 1959 he married Lilian Kallir , with whom he appeared as a duo pianist. He also appeared in duo concerts with his daughter. Frank is highly admired for his insightful performances of the classics.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire