Alberto Portugheis
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Alberto Portugheis (born January 1, 1941, in
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
, Argentina) is an Argentine pianist, born to parents of Russian and Romanian descent. He is an international pianist and teacher, now living in London. After winning first prize at the Geneva Concours de Virtuosité, Portugheis embarked on an international career, visiting almost 50 countries across the world. His recordings include masterpieces from a repertoire ranging from the Baroque to contemporary. He played his 70th birthday concert in London in January 2011, following his birthday on December 31."Alberto Portugheis 70th birthday recital"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''


Biography

Alberto Portugheis is an Argentine pianist and teacher. He was born in La Plata, but now lives in London. He has three children, Susana, Clara, David. His son, David Portugheis, is a composer and photographer. His mother, Catalina, was born in
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
of
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n and Russian descent, from her mother and father, respectively. Her family was originally German, but emigrated from Eastern Europe during World War I. Several of Alberto Portugheis' family members perished in the two World Wars. His father, Simon Portugheis, was a Romanian (
Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...
n)''Dear Ahed: the Game of War and a Path to Peace''
by Alberto Portugheis;
of Portuguese origin, hence the family name. His side of the family, all living siblings included, had arrived in Argentina from Romania just before World War II. Historically, ancestors on his father's side of the family had lived in Holland and Portugal. Through marriages, Alberto Portugheis has Polish, Lithuanian, Israeli, Brazilian and American relatives. Thus, he grew up in a family that was a mix of various nationalities and origins. Since his early childhood, Portugheis showed a talent for, and a great interest in music. By the age of three, he was picking out instrumental, vocal and orchestral music on the piano and by six and a half, he had learned to read music. He told Tim Stein in a 1995 interview for ''Classical Piano'' of the time his father sold some chairs to a piano teacher and how he asked her if he could try out her piano, saying, 'She became my first teacher, until I was 13, when she thought that she had taught me everything she knew.'''Classical Piano'' May/June 1995: The Restaurateur Portugheis then studied for five years with
Vincenzo Scaramuzza Vincenzo Scaramuzza (also known as Vicente Scaramuzza; 1885–1968) was an Italian pianist and music teacher. Biography Scaramuzza was born in Crotone, Italy, on June 19, 1885. Introduced to the piano by his father, Francesco, a renowned piano te ...
(the teacher of
Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...
and
Bruno Leonardo Gelber Bruno Leonardo Gelber (born 19 March 1941) is an Argentine people, Argentine classical pianist. Biography Gelber is an Argentine pianist born in Buenos Aires, with Austrian and France, French-Italy, Italian descent. His father was a violinist, ...
), before going on to the Geneva Conservatoire. Tim Stein records that Portugheis ended up in Geneva by a "rather circuitous route", explaining that he was first selected by the Argentine University as a representative in Germany. Portugheis was to give concerts and introduce people to Argentinian music. Portugheis told Stein that he didn't want to go back home until having visited the grave of his idol,
Dinu Lipatti Constantin "Dinu" Lipatti (; 2 December 1950) was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from effects related to Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy. He comp ...
, in Geneva, and that this journey abroad provided him with that opportunity. While on this visit, Portugheis met Lipatti's widow, Madeleine. He recalled to Stein that she 'was able to pass on a lot of Dinu's ideas, not only musical ideas but ways of practising and his whole approach to music; transmitting the feeling of a composer and, perhaps unique in his time, a reverence for the musical text.' Portugheis' time at the Conservatoire gave him an opportunity to meet the septuagenarian pianist
Youra Guller Youra Guller (14 May 1895 – 31 December 1980) was a French classical pianist. Biography Guller was born in Marseille as Rose-Georgette Guller, of Russian-Romanian heritage. She began her studies at the age of five. She performed in recitals and ...
, a student of
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 ...
in Paris who also performed with
Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), known in English as Pablo Casals,Joseph Szigeti Joseph Szigeti (, ; 5 September 189219 February 1973) was a Hungarian violinist. Born into a musical family, he spent his early childhood in a small town in Transylvania. He quickly proved himself to be a child prodigy on the violin, and move ...
. Portugheis told Stein that although Guller was not a born teacher, she had 'sufficient time and patience' to show him 'the secret of her art'. He described this as 'how to respect the rhythm of a text and how to use the left hand as a strict conductor above all else'. Portugheis said she stressed to him that 'every single note had something to say.' Enthusiasm for music has led Portugheis to a dedicated study of the piano and his life as an international concert pianist, while the horrors experienced by his family led to his work for peace. He tells in his book, ''Dear Ahed: the Game of War and a Path to Peace''''Dear Ahed: The Game of War and a Path to Peace''
by Alberto Portugheis; page 363
that his family "escaped from Eastern Europe between 1935 and 1940" and that not one day of his childhood passed without hearing of the horrors they experienced. Now, in addition to his career on the concert platform, he works for peace.


Study

Howard Smith records, in ''Music Vision Daily'', May 2009:
While preparing for life as an assiduous musician, Portugheis first studied in Buenos Aires with
Vincenzo Scaramuzza Vincenzo Scaramuzza (also known as Vicente Scaramuzza; 1885–1968) was an Italian pianist and music teacher. Biography Scaramuzza was born in Crotone, Italy, on June 19, 1885. Introduced to the piano by his father, Francesco, a renowned piano te ...
, who also taught
Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...
; in Geneva with
Madeleine Lipatti Madeleine or La Madeleine may refer to: Common meanings * Madeleine (given name), also Madeline, a feminine given name, includes a list of people and fictional characters * Madeleine (cake), a traditional sweet cake from France Christianity * ...
, Louis Hiltbrand and
Youra Guller Youra Guller (14 May 1895 – 31 December 1980) was a French classical pianist. Biography Guller was born in Marseille as Rose-Georgette Guller, of Russian-Romanian heritage. She began her studies at the age of five. She performed in recitals and ...
. In London he also had the occasional lesson (before she moved to New York) with the Hungarian
Ilona Kabos Ilona Kabos (7 December 189327 May 1973) was a Hungarian-British pianist and teacher. Biography Kabos was born Ilona Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Budapest in 1893 (some sources give her year of birth as 1894, 1898 or 1902). She studied at the ...
and attended a Masterclass at Dartington Summer School, with Polish pianist Andre Tchaikowsky, who did not usually give lessons. When based in London he also had occasional lessons from Glock and
Maria Curcio Maria Curcio (27 August 1918 or 191930 March 2009) was an Italian classical pianist who became a sought-after teacher. Her students included Barry Douglas, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, Martha Argerich, Evelyne Brancart, Radu Lupu, Dame Mitsuko Uchida, ...
, playing the Classical repertoire to them – both of whom were disciples of
Artur Schnabel Artur Schnabel (17 April 1882 – 15 August 1951) was an Austrian-born classical pianist, composer and Pedagogy, pedagogue. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura. Among the 20th ...
.
Alberto Portugheis was the only Europe-based pianist to play in the concert "Homage to V Scaramuzza" at the Colon Theatre on August 14, 2002. He features in a film on DVD, ''The Work of the Master'' (Scaramuzza's teaching life) directed by Nicolás Borenstein, to be released in 2011.


Career

After winning first prize at the Geneva Concours de Virtuosité in June 1964, Portugheis embarked upon an international career, visiting nearly 50 countries, performing in solo and chamber music concerts as well as being a soloist with many international orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, London Mozart Players, English Chamber, Suisse Romande, Lausanne Chamber, Paris and Israel Sinfoniettas, Filarmónica de Buenos Aires, Nacional de Argentina, and Sofia Philharmonic, among others. Portugheis returns regularly to Argentina, where in 2008 he performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No3. at the Usuahia International Music Festival under the baton of Maestro Jorge Uliarte with
Concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...
Götz Bernau. Portugheis has also studied the violin and conducting.
London Mozart Players London Mozart Players (LMP) are a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. LMP are the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom. Since 1989, the orchestra has been Resident Orchestra at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. History Begin ...
1985
Philharmonia The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, ...
December 1985


Master classes

Portugheis’ annual Masterclasses at
Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities suc ...
attract a wealth of talent from many countries in the world.Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonata Cycle@ The Forge Professor Hovhannes Pilikian states in ''Exceptional Music Concerts'' under the heading of 'The Maestro and his First Class "Students"' that four of Portugheis' piano "students" presented in a concert –Clare Jones, Katalin Csillagh, Jovanni de Pedro, Blagoy Filipov– are " already technically speaking masters of the keyboard – each a concert pianist of virtuosic proportions". Pilikian comments that "any one of them alone would bring honor to a teacher and their national cultures". Ksenija Ristic, Katalin Csillagh,Katalin Csillagh's Website
Gloria Campaner, and Spanish pianist Daniel Bland list Portugheis as one of their teachers. Pilikian wrote of his approach:
"Cultured and compassionate, the Maestro is a gentle soul, always with a smile, an unassuming human being—Like Jesus washing the desert-worn feet of his disciples, it is rather moving to witness Maestro Portugheis sitting next to his piano students as a page-turner... turning the pages of their musical scores with a profound paternal affection".Professor Hovhanness I. Pilikian on Exceptional Music Concerts. Nov. 2008.


Repertoire and recordings

Portugheis' repertoire is very wide, extending from the Baroque—including his own transcriptions—to the music of today: several compositions have been specially written for him. His recordings include: * 4 Chopin Ballades *
Alfred Nieman Alfred Nieman (1914 – 7 March 1997) was a British pianist and composer. Personal life Alfred Nieman was born in the East End of London in 1914 to Polish and Russian immigrant parents. He started playing piano at the age of seven, and sta ...
2nd Sonata * Ginastera complete piano music and chamber music with piano * Khachaturian Piano Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra * Khachaturian solo works *
Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...
and
Shostakovitch Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...
cello and piano sonatas; and * a CD entirely dedicated to the piano music of
Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...
.


Reception

In May 1982, a review by Hector Coda, in ''
La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal ''Clarín (Argentine newspaper), Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argen ...
'', writes:
The spirits of the entire audience were raised with Chopin's Polonaise in A flat Op.53, with moments of real identification with the epic exaltation of the Genius of Poland. Very much applauded, Portugheis offered as an encore a Mazurka by his much remembered teacher,
Vincenzo Scaramuzza Vincenzo Scaramuzza (also known as Vicente Scaramuzza; 1885–1968) was an Italian pianist and music teacher. Biography Scaramuzza was born in Crotone, Italy, on June 19, 1885. Introduced to the piano by his father, Francesco, a renowned piano te ...
.
''
Musical Opinion ''Musical Opinion'', often abbreviated to ''MO'', is a European classical music magazine edited and produced in the UK. It is currently among the oldest such periodicals to be still publishing in the UK, having been continuously in publication ...
'' reviewed his 70th Birthday concert, speaking of "Portugheis' searching and highly characterised performance, rife with mercurial shifts of mood". The reviewer comments that "Portugheis has a strong affinity for the Romantics" while pointing out that he is "best known for his championing of Latin American composers like Ginestera and recent contemporary figures". On July 4, 2010, for instance, Portugheis had demonstrated his "championing of Latin American Music" in an acclaimed concert, where
Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...
joined him at the King's Place, London. There an array of world class musicians from Britain, America, Hungary, Romania, Israel and Lebanon paid tribute to Argentina and its music. Most of the programme consisted of works with a strong Argentine flavour. Dr. David McAughtry reviewed lunchtime concert, at St James's Piccadilly, in London on July 27, 2011, saying, "Portugheis, at 70 is a serious man—a piano virtuoso, teacher, and tireless antiwar campaigner, a Nobel peace prize nominee. He played "Claire de Lune" with huge tenderness as the expression of a lifetime of experience, not all of it good. I found it inexpressibly moving. I could have died then, and felt I understood something, and at the end of the piece my eyes were filled with tears. The pianist sat for a few seconds, shook his head slightly, and got up to receive the applause. I wondered as he stood, if he really had the ability to evoke great emotions in his listeners, while being dispassionate himself. He sat down again, and as he wiped his eyes before starting the next piece, I realized that he had been crying too". Reviewing a 2000 recital at the Regent Hall, Malcolm Miller wrote of Portugheis' "arresting and resonant tone", describing it as being "somewhat reminiscent of the school of
Myra Hess Dame Julia Myra Hess, (25 February 1890 – 25 November 1965) was an English pianist best known for her performances of the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms. Career Early life Julia Myra Hess was born on 25 February 189 ...
or
Dinu Lipatti Constantin "Dinu" Lipatti (; 2 December 1950) was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from effects related to Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy. He comp ...
".''Musical Opinion'' January 1, 2000 Applauding Portugheis in Recital at a December 31, 2002 Concert of "Latin American Blend", Miller commented that his playing demonstrated "especial crystalline articulation and beautifully supple phrasing", adding that "in Portugheis's hands, the music overflowed with vitality, its myriad of colours, rhythmic lilt and syncopated energy radiating a Latin American blend of joy and longing."


Professional associations

Alberto Portugheis is co-founder and vice-chairman of the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe, vice-chairman of the International Society for the Study of Tension in Performance, vice-president of the European Piano Teachers' Association, co-founder of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Pianistas y Pedagogos and founder and director of Opus Musica and Opus Musica's sister organisation, Opus Books. In 1997, Alberto Portugheis co-founded the Iberian & Latin American Music Society (ILAMS) and was its chairman for ten years, though he has now stepped down from the chair and is no longer directly associated with ILAMS. ILAMS was established in London in 1998 with the aim to promote the music of Spain, Portugal and the whole of Latin America. The Society's aim is to raise awareness of the cultures involved, in particular, their classical repertoires with a variety of activities every year.


Humanism

Having heard, since early childhood, stories of the horrors of war, Alberto Portugheis became a committed anti-war campaigner, persistently writing and speaking against militarism. His vision is set out in his book, ''Dear Ahed: The Game of War and a Path to Peace''. The book is dedicated to his late father, Simon Portugheis, who fueled his son's disapproval of war and militarism and inspired his quest for a way to achieve lasting worldwide peace. Alberto Portugheis has combined his world travels with an active pursuit of peace. At the basis of his vision is tolerance of all people throughout the world. He stresses that every human being has a right to a world free from war, pointing out that this is inscribed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but not observed by any of the countries that signed the Declaration. He argues that there is no solution to conflict while we continue to accept a militarized world, stressing that "weapons for peace do not exist". He wants to see the abolition of weapons, and as a consequence, the universal disbanding of all Armed Forces. The way forward to peace, he writes, is to understand that those in power have a vested interest in conflict. He demonstrates how experts in "mind control" help politicians organize chaos, violence and war as they create techniques to arouse epidemic fear in the population before offering protection from what they have themselves created. He says, "my interest lies in educating people, in making them think and understand why we do not have a world at Peace. Together we can create a new economic system for the world that will not depend on the weapon business." John Leech, a leading member of the Federal Trust and author of ''Asymmetries of Conflict: War Without Death'',''Asymmetries of Conflict: War without Death''
by John Leech;
writes, "The whole book, ''Dear Ahed: The Game of War and a Path to Peace'', is a testament of love. It speaks of the wounds Portugheis has suffered by taking all the world's anguish and misery into his enormously receptive heart. The map of suffering created and 'contrived' by giant adversaries is also the chart of his own calvary among millions of afflicted people. It is not necessary to agree with every word of his homilies to understand and be pierced by his chilling message." Professor Pilikian notes that Portugheis "tirelessly raises funds for the education of very poor children of the AmaZon Art charity founded by a virtuoso young Brazilian cellist, Diego Carneiro".


Other passions

Portugheis shares his passion for food with the great Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini. He told Johnny Black of ''CD Classics'' that his world travels as a concert pianist "was the most valuable experience" that he could have had to fuel an interest in good food.''CD Classics'' 1995 For many years, this multi-faceted man practised his passion for cooking, becoming not only the Head-Chef of various restaurants, but also presenting international gastronomic festivals. Boardoom magazine, records him as a "leading Chef" involved in a two-week festival of charcuterie at the Manor Gate restaurant in London.''Boardroom'' magazine, p. 67. 1995 Document of an article in the local Kensington paper of the day, records that he has become the chef of the Majestic Hotel in Cromwell Road and that he had moved there from the John Howard Hotel in Queensgate, London Entered 18 Sept 1989 at 14:29 by Alasdair An interview in ''CD Classics'', 1989, also records this move, saying, that Portugheis was torn between the worlds of music and cooking. As he traveled the world, Portugheis was enjoying the local food of each country he visited, though he attributes his love of food to his mother, who gave him the opportunity to experience a great variety of food as a child. He also admits that, studying in Geneva, he had to work to keep himself alive. This led him to minor jobs in the restaurants of Geneva, which created a fascination for food, and as his musical career ‘took off’ he started to write articles on gastronomy. Portugheis became frustrated at working in other people's kitchens. Together with his colleague, friend and compatriot, Martha Argerich, he opened a successful restaurant in London, known as "Rhapsody". He recalls that they decided on this name as he was about to perform
Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition for solo piano and jazz band by George Gershwin. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects and premiered in a concer ...
with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
. The restaurant, which is longer functioning, attracted a clientele of musicians. Portugheis remembers that all his musician friends would come to Rhapsody, especially on the
Last Night of the Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...
when, he recalls, ‘Andrew Davies came over from the Albert Hall with various friends and agents.’ Portugheis says, "Ultimately cooking and music have a great deal in common. They both provide emotional experiences. Maybe music provides a deeper emotion, but the end result of both is to make people happy".''CD Classics'' He keeps his interest alive with his recipe writing.


See also

*
List of Argentines Argentine people, Argentines who are notable include: Artists *Roberto Aizenberg, painter and sculptor *Oscar Alemán, jazz guitarist *Antonio Alice, portrait painter *Marcelo Álvarez, tenor *Fermín Arango, painter *Martha Argerich, concert p ...
*
List of peace activists This list of peace activists includes people who have proactively advocated Diplomacy, diplomatic, philosophical, and non-military resolution of major territorial or ideological disputes through nonviolent means and methods. Peace activists usua ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portugheis, Alberto Argentine male pianists 1941 births Living people Argentine people of Portuguese-Jewish descent Argentine people of Romanian-Jewish descent Argentine people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish Argentine musicians Entertainers from La Plata Musicians from London 21st-century Argentine pianists