Geoffrey Parsons

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Geoffrey Parsons with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (1977)

Geoffrey Penwill Parsons (born June 15, 1929 in Sydney , † January 26, 1995 in London ) was an Australian pianist and accompanist .

Life

Geoffrey Parsons became a student of Winifred Burston at the Sydney Conservatory in 1941 and made his debut as a solo pianist in his hometown five years later. In 1947 he won the ABC Concerto Competition with the Piano Concerto in B flat major by Johannes Brahms . After leaving the Conservatory in 1948, he went on a tour through Australia with the singer Essie Auckland and decided to devote himself exclusively to accompaniment in the future. In 1949/50 he gave a series of concerts with bass baritone Peter Dawson in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Great Britain; then he stayed in London and initially fought a. a. as a bar pianist .

In 1955 he accompanied Gerhard Hüsch on his first post-war appearance in London. Hüsch invited him to Munich, where Parsons became his constant companion and rounded off his training with Friedrich Wührer in 1956 . In 1961 he made music for the first time with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf , who also made him her constant partner. In the following years Parsons performed with numerous renowned singers, including Hans Hotter , Birgit Nilsson , Rita Streich , Victoria de los Angeles , Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , Hermann Prey , Nicolai Gedda , Christa Ludwig , Janet Baker , Jessye Norman and Felicity Lott . He also accompanied instrumentalists such as Nathan Milstein , Paul Tortelier , Wanda Wiłkomirska and Ida Haendel .

After Gerald Moore said goodbye to the concert podium in 1967, Parsons was considered the most important song accompanist of his time. He has made guest appearances in over 40 countries and was present at all major international music festivals. A large part of his repertoire is documented on records. In later years he also played with singers of the younger generation, including Thomas Hampson , Barbara Bonney and Olaf Bär . His students include a. Roger Vignoles , Graham Johnson and Malcolm Martineau .

Awards

Geoffrey Parsons was Prince Consort Professor of Piano at the Royal College of Music , Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music (since 1975) and the Guildhall School of Music (since 1983), Officer of the Order of the British Empire (since 1977), Fellow of the Royal College of Music (since 1987) and Officer of the Order of Australia (since 1990). In 1992 he was named Royal Philharmonic Society ’s Instrumentalist of the Year .

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personal data
SURNAME Parsons, Geoffrey
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Parsons, Geoffrey Penwill
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian pianist
DATE OF BIRTH June 15, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Sydney
DATE OF DEATH January 26, 1995
Place of death London