Weissenberg Alexis (Sigismond) Noted

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Weissenberg Alexis (Sigismond) Noted

Weissenberg Alexis (Sigismond) noted ,Bulgarian-born French pianist; b. Sofia, July 26,1929. He studied piano at a very early age with his mother, and then pursued training with Pantcho Vladigerov. During the German occupation of his homeland, he and his mother were briefly confined in a concentration camp but then were allowed to emigrate to Palestine; in 1945 he made his first appearance as a soloist with an orch. there. In 1946 he went to N.Y. to study at the Juilliard School of Music; his principal mentor was Olga Samaroff, but he also received instruction from Artur Schnabel and Wanda Landowska. In 1947 he won the Leven-tritt Competition, which led to his U.S. debut that same year with George Szell and the N.Y. Phil.; after touring extensively, he settled in France in 1956, became a naturalized citizen. He withdrew from public appearances for a decade in which he devoted himself to further study and teaching. In 1966 he resumed his career and subsequently toured all over the world.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire