Rudolf Serkin was born in Eger (now Czech Republic) to Russian immigrants in 1903 -  he was to become one of the truly great performers of classical and romantic piano  music. Serkin studied with Sch”nberg and his playing boasted many facets: intellectual  depth and clarity as well as a burning passion and challenging, expressive creativity.  The recordings made between 1932 and 1959 of works written by Beethoven,  Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Strauss and Bach form an impressive example of  his creative art. Passionate abandon and unconditional dedication also distinguish  Serkin`s performances of chamber music works - as demonstrated by the recordings  of Beethoven`s Cello Sonatas made together with Pablo Casals and performances  given with his father-in-law, the great violinist Adolf Busch, with whom Rudolf Serkin  performed chamber music at the highest level for a good thirty years