José Iturbi

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José Iturbi
Photo: Carl van Vechten , 1933

José Iturbi (born November 28, 1895 in Valencia , Spain , † June 28, 1980 in Los Angeles , California ) was a Spanish conductor , pianist and harpsichordist . He was also known as a music teacher and actor .

Career

José Iturbi was considered a much admired child prodigy. At the age of seven he was already contributing to the family income by giving piano evenings and playing the piano in theaters to background music for silent films. Iturbi studied piano at the conservatory in his native Valencia at the age of 11. At the age of 15 he continued his studies at the Conservatoire in Paris. From 1919 to 1923 Iturbi was a professor at the Conservatory in Geneva .

As a concert pianist, he performed for the first time in London in 1928. In 1929 he played Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto Op. 58 in G major with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski on his Philadelphia debut .

After the First World War, he initially worked as a jazz pianist. In 1933 he began his successful conducting career. He made his first appearance as a conductor in Mexico City in 1933 . From 1935 he became permanent conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra , which he directed until 1944. He then conducted many large orchestras, such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra . He was also associated as a conductor with the orchestra in his hometown of Valencia. Together with the famous harpsichordist Wanda Landowska , he made educational films and conducted studies in piano technique and interpretation.

Iturbi appeared in several musical films, starting with Thousands Cheer of MGM , and 1945 in Holiday in Hollywood (Anchors Aweigh) on. Directed by George Sidney , he played together with Gene Kelly , Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson and showed his skills as a pianist and conductor. In his films he always portrayed himself and proved through his charisma and naturalness that he also had potential as an actor.

In the film A Song to Remember , in which Cornel Wilde played the pianist Frédéric Chopin , Iturbi actually played the piano in the background for him. Iturbi was under contract with MGM. As a result, he was only allowed to play the music for the film “Song to Remember” on rival Columbia Pictures if his name was not mentioned in the program advertisements. For this he received $ 35,000. However, Cornel Wilde was suddenly expected to play the piano. The secret could not be kept hidden for long. When a reader in the Chicago Tribune asked why Wilde hadn't been seen as a fabulous pianist before, the paper revealed the secret. Victor Red Seal Records, with which Iturbi was under contract, lost no time and in April 1945 released a two-record set “Music to Remember, from the Life of Chopin.” In August they also released a single with the “Polonaise in A flat major” Op. 53, which immediately stormed to the top of the charts and stayed there for four years.

José Iturbi also composed film music himself. Some of his film work was criticized for his seriousness as a pianist and conductor. From 1951 Iturbi also worked as a pianist in several television series.

His Spanish Piano Music , published in 1960, is considered one of Iturbi's best works . Iturbi's interpretations of piano concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are considered particularly outstanding. An example of this is the Concerto in E flat major for two pianos and orchestra, KV 365, in which Iturbi sat at the piano and acted as conductor and his sister Amparo Iturbi also played the piano and played the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Together with his sister Amparo Iturbi, also a talented pianist, he often gave piano recitals. His last major concert tour took place in 1976/77.

Iturbi was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .

Private life

In 1916, José Iturbi married Maria Giner de los Santos. Her life tragically ended in 1928 when she mistook poison for a cough suppressant. They had a daughter, against whom Iturbi took legal action when she was an adult, calling her an incompetent mother. The daughter committed suicide in 1946. José Iturbi died of heart failure on June 28, 1980 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. His secretary, Marion Seabury, who was by his side for many years, founded the José Iturbi Foundation after his death. "The José Iturbi Foundation identifies the world's greatest classical musical talents of tomorrow," said the President of the Foundation. With prize money of $ 850,000.00, it is offering the world's highest amount in the competition for classical music.

José Iturbi found his final resting place in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City , California .

Filmography

Web links

Commons : José Iturbi  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c biography of José Iturbi
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Career of José Iturbi
  3. ^ Ullstein: Lexicon of Music. Edition 8, 1976 - revision
  4. ↑ A Song to Remember at joseiturbi.com
  5. ↑ José Iturbi “Polonaise in A flat major” recording from 1945?
  6. ↑ José Iturbi film music  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at comunitatvalenciana.com@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / de.comunitatvalenciana.com  
  7. ↑ José Iturbi: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, KV 466 and other works at ivoryclassics.com
  8. ↑ José Iturbi in the Notable Names Database (English)
  9. ↑ José Iturbi Foundation at prweb.com
personal data
SURNAME Iturbi, José
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish conductor, composer, pianist, music educator and actor
DATE OF BIRTH November 28, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Valencia , Spain
DATE OF DEATH June 28, 1980
Place of death Los Angeles , California