Menahem Pressler
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Menahem Pressler ( he, מנחם פרסלר; born 16 December 1923) is a German-born Israeli-American pianist. Pressler is
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. Following
Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...
, he and his immediate family fled Nazi Germany in 1939,„Was der Welt eigentlich den Wert gibt“
Volker Milch,
Wiesbadener Tagblatt The ''Wiesbadener Tagblatt'' (also known as the WT) was a regional daily newspaper for the area in and around the state capital of Hesse, Wiesbaden in Germany. The newspaper was established in the 1840s by August Schellenberg under the name ''Wie ...
, 27 August 2010
initially to Italy, and then to Palestine. His grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins all died in concentration camps. The article does, however, contain an error: Pressler did not “bump into” Sigmund Freud in California (or anywhere else) in 1946 or 1947, because Freud died in 1939 – see ''The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud'' by Ernest Jones and numerous reference books. His career was launched after he won first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. His
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
debut subsequently followed, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by
Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association wit ...
. Since 1955, Pressler has taught on the piano faculty at the
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...
Jacobs School of Music The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music. It has more than 1,500 students, approximately half of whom ar ...
, where he holds the rank of Distinguished Professor of Music as the Charles Webb Chair. His debut as a chamber musician was at the 1955 Berkshire Festival, where he appeared as the pianist of the
Beaux Arts Trio The Beaux Arts Trio was a noted piano trio, celebrated for their vivacity, emotional depth and wide-ranging repertoire. They made their debut on 13 July 1955, at the Berkshire Music Festival, Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, known today as the ...
, with Daniel Guilet, violin, and Bernard Greenhouse, cello.Current and former students to pay tribute to Menahem Pressler at 80th birthday celebration concert
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...
, 8 December 2003]
Although he was a junior partner in the Beaux Arts Trio at the outset, Pressler was the only original member of the trio to perform with the group through its entire existence, including several changes of membership, up to the dissolution of the trio in 2008. In 2010, he played at the
Rheingau Musik Festival The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...
with
Antônio Meneses Antônio Meneses Neto (born 23 August 1957 in Recife) is a Brazilian cellist. Antonio Meneses was born into a family of musicians. His father was first horn player at the Opera of Rio de Janeiro. He began to study the cello when he was ten. Durin ...
, the last cellist of the Beaux Arts Trio, and appeared before in the series ''Rendezvous''. Pressler returned to Germany in 2008 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of
Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...
. In January 2014, aged 90, he made his debut with the
Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...
. His performance with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir
Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal ...
at their 2014 New Year's Eve Concert was televised live throughout the world. The Beaux Arts Trio made an extensive series of recordings for Philips. In addition, Pressler has recorded solo piano music commercially on the La Dolce Volta label and
Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
in 2018 a recording of French music dedicated to his constant companion Annabelle Whitestone, Lady Weidenfeld. Already at the beginning of the 1950s he had recorded a substantial quantity of solo piano music and for piano and orchestra of various composers for the American label MGM.


Awards and recognition

Among his honors and awards, Pressler has received honorary doctorates from the University of Nebraska, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the North Carolina School of the Arts, six Grammy nominations (including one in 2006), a lifetime achievement award from '' Gramophone'' magazine and the
International Classical Music Awards The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) are music awards first awarded 6 April 2011. ICMA replace the Cannes Classical Awards (later called MIDEM Classical Awards) formerly awarded at MIDEM. The jury consists of music critics of magazines ...
, Chamber Music America’s Distinguished Service Award, the Gold Medal of Merit from the
National Society of Arts and Letters The National Society of Arts and Letters (known by its abbreviation NSAL) is an American non-profit group founded in 1944 as a women's organization to assist promising young artists through arts competitions, scholarships and other career opportuni ...
. He has also been awarded the German Critics “Ehrenurkunde” award and election into the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
. In 2007 Pressler was appointed as an Honorary Fellow of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in recognition of a lifetime of performance and leadership in music. In 2005 Pressler received two additional awards of international merit: the German
Bundesverdienstkreuz The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
(Cross of Merit), Germany’s highest honor, and France’s highest cultural honor, the Commandeur in the
Order of Arts and Letters The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...
award. In 2015 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music London, Hon RAM, and received the lifetime Achievement Award from ECHO Classic in Germany. In 2016 he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from Les Victoires de la Musique Classique in France. In December 2017 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Ben Gurion University in
Beer Sheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
Israel.


References


External links


Menahem Pressler's site
* ttp://www.bruceduffie.com/pressler.html Interview with Menahem Pressler 8 June 1996 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pressler, Menahem 1923 births Living people German classical pianists Male classical pianists Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine Jacobs School of Music faculty Jewish classical pianists Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 21st-century classical pianists Beaux Arts Trio members Israeli emigrants to the United States 21st-century male musicians Cedille Records artists