Witold Małcużyński (August 10, 1914The National Frédéric Chopin Institute - Witold Małcużyński
/ref>July 17, 1977) was a distinguished Polish pianist who specialized in the works of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

. His playing was marked by great passion and poetry.

Biography

Małcużyński was born in 1914. He was the older brother of Karol Małcużyński, a Polish politician and journalist. He began playing piano at the age of 5, starting regular lessons four years later. Originally, he intended to study law but his innate love of music overcame his initial decision and he switched to music and enrolled at the Warsaw Conservatory from which he graduated with high honours, studying under

Józef Turczyński Jozéf Turczyński (18841953) was a Polish pianist, pedagogue and musicologist who exercised a powerful influence over the development of piano teaching and performance, especially in the works of Frédéric Chopin, during the first half of the 20th ...

. In 1936, he received an invitation to study under

Marguerite Long Marguerite Marie-Charlotte Long (13 November 1874 – 13 February 1966) was a French pianist, pedagogue, lecturer, and an ambassador of French music. Life Early life: 1874–1900 Marguerite Long was born to Pierre Long and Anne Marie Antoin ...

and

Isidor Philipp Isidor Edmond Philipp (first name sometimes spelled Isidore) (2 September 1863 – 20 February 1958) was a French pianist, composer, and pedagogue of Jewish Hungarian descent. He was born in Budapest and died in Paris. Biography Isidor Philipp ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. He won the third prize at the III International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1937. At the same time, he met his future wife, the French pianist Colette Gaveau. Witold Malcuzynski monument

When

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

began, he was in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. There, he joined the artistic-propaganda section of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

and visited military camps. After the capitulation of France, he and his new wife escaped in a sealed traincar to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

, where he met the conductor Grzegorz Fitelberg, who offered him a tour of South America. Małcużyński went to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

in October 1940. In April 1942 he relocated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Essential to his American career was the violinist

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...

, who initially helped him with management issues. After the war, he moved to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He was a member of the jury of the International Chopin Competition in 1960 and 1970, the

Queen Elisabeth Music Competition The Queen Elisabeth Competition ( nl, Koningin Elisabethwedstrijd, french: Concours musical international Reine Élisabeth) is an international competition for career-starting musicians held in Brussels. The competition is named after Queen ...

(

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

) in 1960, and the

Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition The Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition (in Spanish: Concurso Internacional de Piano de Santander "Paloma O'Shea") is a piano competition taking place in Santander, Spain. Founded in 1972 by Paloma O'Shea as a national prize, ...

in 1976."Winners, Juries, Orchestras and Guest Artists
Santander Piano Competition He was conferred an Officer's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievemen ...

. He died in 1977 in

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, and was buried in the

Powązki Cemetery Powązki Cemetery (; pl, Cmentarz Powązkowski), also known as Stare Powązki ( en, Old Powązki), is a historic necropolis located in Wola district, in the western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city and one of t ...

, Poland.

Selected discography (CD)

* 1989 ''Witold Małcużyński Plays Chopin'' (Polskie Nagrania) * 1993 ''Witold Małcużyński - Fantasies-Nocturnes-Scherzos'' (Allegro Corporation) * 1993 ''Malcuzynski Plays Chopin - Grand Polonaise, Volume 2'' (Allegro Corporation) * 1994 ''Malcuzynski: Artist Profile (Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2/Piano Sonata No. 3/Waltzes/Mazurkas)'' (EMI Classic) * 1999 ''Witold Małcuzynski - Chopin-Rachmaninov'' (Dante) * 2000 ''Witold Malcuzynski Plays Chopin, Liszt and Szymanowski'' (Piano Masters) (Pearl) * 2001 ''Witold Malcuzynski - Brahms-Beethoven-Chopin'' (Aura Classics) * 2001 ''Witold Malcuzynski Plays Great Romantic Piano Music'' (2CD) (Royal Long Players) * 2003 ''Witold Małcużyński Brahms-Franck-Bach-Busoni'' (Polskie Nagrania) * 2006 ''Witold Małcużyński - Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor op.15'' (Polskie Nagrania) * 2007 ''Witold Małcużyński - Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2; Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3'' (nagr. 1946-1949) (Guild) * 2007 ''Witold Malcuzynski Intermezzo'' (Fabula Classica) * 2010 ''Witold Małcużyński - Chopin'' (digipack) (Polskie Radio)

References

Sources

* Roger Hauert &

Bernard Gavoty Bernard Georges-Marie Gavoty (2 April 1908 – 24 October 1981) was a 20th-century French organist, musicologist, music critic, and talk show host. Biography Bernard Gavoty was born in 1908 to Raymond Gavoty (a deputy of the Var department; 11 M ...

. "Malcuzynski", Great Concert Artists Series, Kister, Genève, 1957. * Skarbowski, Jerzy. "Witold Małcużyński - pianista potężny", ''Poradnik Muzyczny'', n° 7/8, 1989. * * Jeżewski, Krzysztof. "Witold Małcużyński - W trzydziestą rocznicę śmierci", ''Głos Katolicki'', n° 26, Paris, 15-22.7.2007
Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina - Witold Małcużyński

External links

* http://malcuzynski.galeon.com/ * {{DEFAULTSORT:Malcuzynski, Witold Polish classical pianists Male classical pianists 1914 births 1977 deaths Chopin University of Music alumni Polish expatriates in Switzerland Prize-winners of the International Chopin Piano Competition Burials at Powązki Cemetery 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century composers 20th-century male musicians Polish expatriates in the United States