Credits:

Beethoven, L. Van

Description:

A world first! A compilation of the fantastic Chopin recordings made by Hu Tzong, one of the greatest Chopin players of the 20th century, for CBS. Born in Shanghai on March 10, 1934, Fu Tsung was the first internationally recognized Chinese pianist. During a cultural exchange in Poland with other Chinese musicians, singers, and dancers in 1954, Hu impressed the audience so much that he was recommended to enter the Chopin Competition the following year. The result was third place (Vladimir Ashkenazy was second and Adam Halasiewicz first at that time), but he received a special prize (the Mazurka Prize) for his performance of the mazurka. This success earned him a scholarship to study at the Warsaw Conservatory. There he studied with Zbigniew Zewiecki, whom he later described as "the only serious teacher. After the Chopin Competition, Zewiecki took Hu aside and said, "You are very special. You have your own personality. You already have your own ideas. That's why I don't want you to come to lessons so often.I am only here to guide you out of your way and ensure that you maintain your individual approach to music," he said.On Christmas Eve 1958, Fu boarded a plane from Warsaw to London. Having given up on returning to the People's Republic of China after his parents fell victim to the Cultural Revolution, he applied for political asylum in 1960 and was based in London for the rest of his life. Fu was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best New Classical Artist" category in 1963 for his recording of Scarlatti's Sonata, and made his recital debut at Town Hall, New York, in 1964. Since then, he has returned to New York many times to give concerts. He has also served on the jury of the Queen Elizabeth International Competition, the jury of the Chopin Competition, and the jury of the Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition. Argerich often invited him to perform with him at the Beppu Argerich Music Festival. (1/2) Sony Music