Elisabeth Klein (23 July 1911 – 11 October 2004) was a Hungarian- Danish pianist.

Biography

Elisabeth Klein was born in Trencsén (now Slovakia) and lived in Budapest, Hungary from the age of 3. At any early age she demonstrated a strong aptitude for playing the piano. After graduating from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, she studied privately with

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...

from 1934–1936. She came to Denmark at the outbreak of Second World War and remained there in Copenhagen for the longest part of her life. She married Jørgen Petersen (1916–1986), a Royal Danish Naval Officer, on 21 December 1941, and their first son, Ole Holger Petersen, was born in 1943. After the War, during which Jørgen was exiled in Scotland, their second son, Nils Holger Petersen, was born in 1946. The family spent some years stationed with NATO in Oslo, Norway, and in Kiel, West Germany. Elisabeth Klein worked for many years with the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen, the

Royal Danish Academy of Music The Royal Danish Academy of Music, or Royal Danish Conservatory of Music ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium), in Copenhagen is the oldest professional institution of musical education in Denmark as well as the largest, with approxima ...

in Copenhagen, Denmark and the Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo, Norway. From her early interest in

Contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included serial ...

in the 1960s, she became a particular champion of and specialist in the performance of Contemporary Scandinavian piano music. She also had an interest in International Women's Contemporary music. She performed concerts and recordings throughout Scandinavia, many countries in Europe, U.S., Israel, China, and Mexico. Her discography includes works of Bartók, Berg, Stockhausen and many contemporary Scandinavian composers. A good number of works for piano were also dedicated to her by various composers. In 1980 after her husband retired as a

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

from the Royal Danish Navy, they moved to Oslo, Norway where Elisabeth Klein continued to teach at the Norwegian Academy of Music until the age of 70. She spend her final years in Liverpool, UK still actively performing and teaching piano. Elisabeth Klein was awarded the Music Prize of Danish Radio in 1966, made an honorary artist of the Norwegian Composers Association in 1976, and became an honorary member of Women in Music in 1992.

References

External links

Biographical page on KVINFO Denmark's Centre for Information on Women and Gender (in Danish)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Elisabeth 1911 births 2004 deaths People from Trenčín Danish classical pianists Danish women pianists Hungarian classical pianists Hungarian women pianists Danish people of Hungarian descent Hungarian people of Danish descent Slovak people of Danish descent Danish people of Slovak descent Franz Liszt Academy of Music alumni Pupils of Béla Bartók Musicians from Budapest 20th-century classical pianists Women classical pianists 20th-century women composers Olufsen Records artists Philips Records artists CBS Records artists Hungarian emigrants to Denmark 20th-century women pianists