Ignaz Friedman: Romantic Master Pianist
"Allan Evans's biography of Ignaz Friedman... is a beautifully written and marvelously researched book about one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the twentieth century.... This is a book to savor, to read and reread." —Clavier Companion"Ignaz Friedman is thoroughly researched and offers readers new insight into the life and activities of this pianistic giant." —Music Research Forum, Vol. 25, 2010"There was an early archaeologist in the first decades of the 15th century by the name of Ciriaco d'Ancona. When asked what he was doing, he replied: 'I wake the dead.' Allan Evans could claim the same. It is wonderful, how many hidden testimonies he rescues from oblivion!" —Ernst Gombrich"A remarkable and historic book that delivers an intimate and thorough portrait of the artist. The depth of research is staggering.... It is now possible to put a face, a life, a reality, a personality to the man who only existed in our ears, hearts, and musical minds." —Kenneth Cooper, Manhattan School of Music"Nothing is harder to bring back to life than a dead pianist, no matter how effervescent or influential. The art dies with the fingers. What Allan Evans has done—not once but three times—is to make the late artist seem absolutely relevant to our times." —Norman Lebrecht"Of great interest to pianists and their audiences... the accounts of lessons with Friedman are particularly riveting." —Kenneth Hamilton, Birmingham University"This distinguished study brings back to the forefront a great artist who was in danger of being forgotten." —Gramophone, November 2009"This book is a must read, above all, for those interested in Ignaz Friedman, and for those interested in the musical world of his time." —www.classicalmusicguide.com, September 8, 2009"Evans packs so much into these pages that it is not just an interesting biography but more an immersion into the entire piano world of the first half of the 20th century. The book includes a number of interesting photos; the appendixes are a rich source, meticulously documented, of Friedman's concert repertoire, recordings, compositions, and editorial work on the compositions of Frederic Chopin. This volume is a true labor of love.... Highly recommended." —Choice, January 2010