Blumental, Felicja

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Blumental, Felicja

Polish-born Brazilian pianist; b. Warsaw, Dec. 28, 1908; d. Tel Aviv, Dec. 31, 1991. She studied composition with Szymanowski and piano with Drzewiecki and Joseph Goldberg at the Warsaw Cons. In 1942 she emigrated to Brazil and became a naturalized Brazilian citizen; in 1962 she returned to Europe. She became particularly known for her performances of works by rarely heard composers of the past, especially Clementi, Czerny, and Hummel. She also commissioned scores from Villa-Lobos, Lutoslawski, and Penderecki.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire