View source for Clifford Curzon

{{Short description|English classical pianist (1907–1982)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2015}}

{{Infobox person
| name               = Clifford Curzon
| honorific_suffix   = [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
| image              = Clifford-Curzon.jpg
| caption            = Curzon in 1960
| image_size         = 
| birth_name         = Clifford Michael Siegenberg
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1907|5|18|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Islington]], [[London]], England
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1982|9|1|1907|5|18|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[London]], England <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/04/obituaries/sir-clifford-curzon-is-dead-at-75-one-of-the-world-s-leading-pianists.html|title=Sir Clifford Curzon is Dead at 75; One of the World's Leading Pianists|newspaper=The New York Times|date=4 September 1982|last1=Waggoner|first1=Walter H.}}</ref>
| alma_mater         = [[Royal Academy of Music]]
| occupation         = Composer, pianist
| yearsactive        = 
| spouse             = [[Lucille Wallace]] (m. 1931-1977; her death)
| children           = 
}}

'''Sir Clifford Michael Curzon''' [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]] (né '''Siegenberg'''; 18 May 1907{{spaced ndash}}1 September 1982) was an English classical pianist.

Curzon studied at the [[Royal Academy of Music]] in London, and subsequently with [[Artur Schnabel]] in Berlin and [[Wanda Landowska]] and [[Nadia Boulanger]] in Paris. In his early career he was known for his performances of [[Romantic music|Romantic]] and virtuoso music, and for championing modern works. Later he concentrated on composers such as [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]] and [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]. He played regularly in continental Europe and North America, making tours in the 1930s and for most of his post-war career.

Although signed to a recording company, [[Decca Records|Decca]], for most of his career, Curzon was not at ease in the studio, and vetoed the release of many of his recordings, some of which were published after his death.

==Life and career==
===Early years===
Curzon was born in [[Islington]], London, the younger son and second of three children of Michael Siegenberg, a Jewish antiques dealer, and his wife Constance Mary, ''née'' Young.<ref name=dnb>Mann, William. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30994 "Curzon, Sir Clifford Michael (1907–1982)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2011, retrieved 17 December 2015 {{ODNBsub}}</ref> The family name was changed to Curzon in August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the [[First World War]].<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28870/page/6434 Notice], ''[[The London Gazette]]'', 14 August 1914, p. 6434</ref> The household was musical: Mary Curzon was a talented amateur singer, Michael's sister was a professional singer, and his uncle, the composer [[Albert Ketèlbey]] was a frequent visitor, and his performances of his music on the family piano were the young Curzon's earliest abiding musical memories.<ref name=dnb/> The boy's first musical studies were as a violinist, but he soon concentrated on the piano.<ref name=dnb/>

In 1919 Curzon entered the [[Royal Academy of Music]] (RAM) in London, and two years later was admitted to the senior school of the academy at the unusually early age of fourteen. He studied with Charles Reddie, whose own teacher, [[Bernhard Stavenhagen]], had been a pupil of [[Franz Liszt]]. Curzon won many prizes, including the RAM's MacFarren Gold Medal, and then continued his studies with [[Katharine Goodson]], who had been a pupil of [[Theodor Leschetizky]].<ref name=dnb/> [[Henry Wood|Sir Henry Wood]] was the conductor of the academy's student orchestra, and in 1924 he gave Curzon his first [[The Proms|Promenade Concert]] engagement, as one of the co-soloists in Bach's [[Keyboard concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach#Concerto in D minor.2C BWV 1063|Triple Keyboard Concerto in D minor]], along with two other students.{{refn|''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' gives the year as 1922, and the ''Oxford Dictionary of Music'' gives it as 1923. The BBC's Prom archive shows the date of the concert as 3 October 1924.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e2zmxj "Prom 48"], Proms, BBC , retrieved 17 December 2015</ref>|group= n}} At around the time Curzon was graduating, his father became seriously ill, affecting the family business; money became short, and in 1926 Curzon, though not drawn to teaching, accepted a salaried post as a sub-professor at the RAM.<ref name=ab>[[Alan Blyth|Blyth, Alan]]. "Clifford Curzon", ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|The Gramophone]]'', March 1971, p. 1764</ref> One of his pupils at this period was [[Constance Warren (composer)|Constance Warren]], two years his senior.<ref>John France. '[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/Jan/Warren-Heather-hill.htm Constance Warren and her Heather Hill for string orchestra]', at ''MusicWeb International'' (2022)</ref> He continued to pursue a career as a soloist. A family friend introduced him to [[Thomas Beecham|Sir Thomas Beecham]], who was sufficiently impressed by Curzon's playing to engage him as soloist in [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Piano Concerto No. 26 (Mozart)|''Coronation'' Concerto]] at the [[Queen's Hall]].<ref name=mg>De Jongh, Nicholas. "Clifford Curzon, Britain's greatest pianist", ''The Guardian'', 26 May 1976, p. 12</ref>

In 1928 Curzon temporarily left the RAM. A legacy from the mother of a colleague enabled him to move to Berlin for two years, to study with [[Artur Schnabel]].<ref name=ab/><ref name=grove>Loppert Max. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/06975 "Curzon, Sir Clifford"],  ''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press, retrieved 17 December 2015 {{subscription required}}</ref> He then studied with [[Wanda Landowska]] and [[Nadia Boulanger]] in Paris. Curzon believed that his own pianistic style owed much to the examples of Schnabel and Landowska; although, he said, they disliked each other and were diametrically opposite in their musical aesthetics, he learned about phrasing from Schnabel and about precision of technique from Landowska.<ref name=mg/>

===Soloist===
Curzon built a successful career as a soloist, enabling him to resign from the RAM in 1932.<ref name=ab/> In addition to frequent concerts in Britain, he toured Europe in 1936 and 1938 under the auspices of the [[British Council]],<ref name=who>[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U163371 "Curzon, Sir Clifford (Michael)], ''Who Was Who'', Oxford University Press, 2014 retrieved 17 December 2015 {{subscription required}}</ref> and made his US debut in 1939, returning regularly for many years after the Second World War.<ref name=grove/> In his early years as a star soloist Curzon played a more Romantic and virtuosic repertoire than that associated with him in his later career. Established pianists of the time generally ignored concertante works by such composers as [[Ignacy Jan Paderewski]], [[Vincent d'Indy]] and [[Frederick Delius]], with which Curzon made a mark.<ref name=dnb/><ref name=naxos/> He was also known for his espousal of new music, giving premieres and early performances of works by [[Germaine Tailleferre]], [[John Ireland (composer)|John Ireland]], [[Alan Rawsthorne]] and [[Lennox Berkeley]] among others. During the war, shortage of time prevented him from undertaking the British premiere of [[Aram Khachaturian]]'s [[Piano Concerto (Khachaturian)|Piano Concerto]],<ref>[http://www.ivoryclassics.com/releases/70906/pdf/booklet.pdf Notes to Ivory Classics CD 64405-70906] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214234058/http://www.ivoryclassics.com/releases/70906/pdf/booklet.pdf |date=14 February 2019 }} (1999), OCLC 43556430</ref> but his friendship with [[Benjamin Britten]] led to many joint concerts by the two musicians.<ref name=dnb/>

Curzon was a highly self-critical performer, and although he signed for the [[Decca Records|Decca]] recording company in 1937 and remained with them throughout his career, he was rarely at ease in the studios, and frequently refused to allow the release of recordings in which he felt dissatisfied with his performance.<ref>Culshaw, p. 172</ref>{{refn|Among recordings that Curzon barred from release were a 1944 [[Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)|Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto]] conducted by [[Malcolm Sargent]], a 1947 ''[[Wanderer Fantasy]]'', two Mozart concertos conducted by Britten, a 1961 [[Sonata in B minor (Liszt)|Liszt B minor Sonata]], and three different recordings of Mozart's [[Piano Concerto No. 27 (Mozart)|Piano Concerto No.27 in B flat K595]] made in 1964, 1967 and 1970. Some of these recordings were released after his death.<ref name=decca>Stuart, Philip. [http://www.charm.rhul.ac.uk/discography/decca.html ''Decca Classical, 1929–2009''], Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music, retrieved 18 December 2015</ref>|group= n}}

After the war Curzon began to limit his appearances in the concert hall and recording studios, devoting himself to extensive periods of private study.<ref name=times>"Sir Clifford Curzon", ''The Times'', 3 September 1982, p. 12</ref> Throughout his career he maintained a rigorous regime of practice, playing for several hours every day.<ref name=naxos>Summers, Jonathan. [http://www.naxos.com/person/Clifford_Curzon/7004.htm "Clifford Curzon"], A–Z of Pianists, Naxos, retrieved 17 December 2015</ref>

Together with [[Joseph Szigeti]], [[William Primrose]] and [[Pierre Fournier]] Curzon formed the Edinburgh Festival Piano Quartet in 1952. In ''The Manchester Guardian'', [[Neville Cardus]] wrote, "They do not quite make an easeful ensemble. The ear is constantly attracted by individual touches of fine musical art, but we receive a sense that each master is playing with his eye on the other, so as not to overstep the bounds of modesty."<ref>Cardus, Neville. "Limitations of the festival atmosphere", ''The Manchester Guardian'', 3 September 1952, p. 5</ref>  As a soloist Curzon made American tours in the years between 1948 and 1970, played at European music festivals and toured the continent with the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]] and [[Malcolm Sargent|Sir Malcolm Sargent]] in 1954.<ref name=who/>

From the post-war years onwards, Curzon increasingly concentrated on less virtuoso repertoire than hitherto. He became celebrated for his performances of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. Max Loppert, his biographer in ''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'', wrote that in the works of these Austro-German classical masters "he was unequalled for sensitivity and directness of manner, beauty of tone and an inner stillness. In such works as Mozart's Concerto in B{{music|flat}} K595, his unique combination of nervous energy and Olympian calm earned him a reputation as a supreme Mozartian." Another biographer of Curzon, [[William Mann (critic)|William Mann]], wrote: 
{{blockquote|The virtues which he applied to Mozart's piano concertos—he regarded them as the most perfect music ever composed—included line-drawing that colours itself and a control of structure through harmony and feeling for ensemble, which was overwhelming when the conductor was sympathetic. He achieved them with Britten often, and also with [[Daniel Barenboim]] and [[Colin Davis|Sir Colin Davis]]<ref name=dnb/>|}}

Curzon suffered throughout his career from stage fright and, unlike most star pianists, he played not from memory at concerts but with the score on his music stand.<ref name=dnb/>  In private life, Mann records, Curzon was "an ideal host, a lively raconteur, a keen connoisseur of painting and literature, and appreciative of other countries and their cultures, food, drink and language."<ref name=dnb/>

==Personal life==
While still in Paris, Curzon married the American [[harpsichord]]ist [[Lucille Wallace]] (1898–1977).<ref name=lw>"Lucille Wallace", ''The Times'', 23 March 1977. p. 18</ref> They had no offspring, but they adopted the two sons of the soprano [[Maria Cebotari]] after she and her husband died young.<ref name=lw/>

==Death==
Curzon died in September 1982, aged 75. He is buried next to his wife in the churchyard of St Patrick's, [[Patterdale]], near their holiday home in the [[Lake District]]. On his gravestone are inscribed the opening words of [[Franz von Schober]]'s poem "An die Musik": "Du holde Kunst" (O fairest art), familiar from Schubert's setting.<ref>[http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-the-gravestone-of-the-concert-pianist-sir-clifford-michael-curzon-48693030.html "The gravestone of the concert pianist, Sir Clifford Michael Curzon"], Alamy, retrieved 17 December 2015</ref>

==Honours==
In 1958 Curzon was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE), and in 1977 he was [[knight bachelor|knighted]].<ref name=who/> He was elected a Fellow of the RAM in 1939,<ref name=grove/> and in 1980 he received the [[Royal Philharmonic Society]]'s gold medal. He was an honorary fellow of [[St Peter's College, Oxford]] (1981) and was awarded honorary doctorates by the universities of [[University of Leeds|Leeds]] (1970) and [[University of Sussex|Sussex]] (1973).<ref name=who/>

==Notes, references and sources==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=n}}

===References===
{{Reflist|colwidth=25em}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book|last= Culshaw |first= John |year= 1981|title= Putting the Record Straight |location= London |publisher= Secker & Warburg |isbn= 978-0-436-11802-9 }}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110715043853/http://fischer.hosting.paran.com/music/Curzon/discography-curzon.htm Recordings and discography] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110715043541/http://fischer.hosting.paran.com/music/ Youngrok Lee's Classical Music page])
*{{Find a Grave|116541132}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curzon, Clifford}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English classical pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century English male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century English musicians]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music]]
[[Category:Benjamin Britten]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:20th-century English classical composers]]
[[Category:English male classical pianists]]
[[Category:Jewish classical pianists]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Musicians awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:People from Highgate]]
[[Category:Pupils of Artur Schnabel]]
[[Category:Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists]]