Clifford Curzon

Composers

Biography

Born: May 18, 1907; London, England   Died: September 1, 1982; London, England  
Clifford Curzon was among the finest English pianists of the twentieth century, known for his clear, ego-less performances of the German Classical and Romantic masterpieces. A quiet intellectual who nevertheless possessed a formidable technique, Curzon played everything from Mozart to Liszt with equal authority. His fans often cite this ability to emphasize the personality of each composer, rather than his own, as his most distinctive quality. Read more Curzon recorded for the Decca label for over 30 years, leaving behind a modestly sized, but musically impressive catalog. His recordings of Mozart and Schubert are considered his best.

Curzon achieved success early, with a scholarship to London's Royal Academy of Music in 1919. His impressive student career earned him every prize available to a pianist at the Academy, and he made his professional debut in 1923 -- playing Bach's Triple Concerto with conductor Henry Wood at a Promenade Concert in Queen's Hall. In 1926, when still just 19 years old, he was invited to join the RAM faculty; he remained on the faculty there until 1932, when he became a full-time performing pianist. During his time teaching at the RAM, Curzon spent several extended periods abroad studying with great pianists: first with Artur Schnabel in Berlin, and then with Wanda Landowska and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. In 1936, Curzon made a recital tour of Europe with violist Lionel Tertis, and in 1939, he made his U.S. debut at New York's Town Hall. By 1941, he was making records for Decca, beginning a relationship that would last almost to the end of his life.

Curzon was an exacting perfectionist, often refusing to allow the release of recordings he felt were imperfect. This included recordings of Mozart concertos with the likes of George Szell, István Kertész, and Benjamin Britten conducting. For this and other reasons, he earned a reputation for being difficult, and at times highly temperamental -- an irony, considering his generally retiring nature, and the restrained elegance of his playing. Curzon was knighted in 1977. Read less

Featured Clifford Curzon CDs & DVDs:

Schubert: Trout Quintet, Etc / Curzon, Vienna Octet, Et Al
Schubert: Trout Quintet, Etc / Curzon, Vienna Octet, Et Al
Release Date: 11/30/1999   Label: Decca  
Catalog: 460650   Number of Discs: 1
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Original Masters - Clifford Curzon - Decca Recordings 1944-1970 Vol 4
Original Masters - Clifford Curzon - Decca Recordings 1944-1970 Vol 4
Release Date: 02/13/2007   Label: Decca  
Catalog: 000841202   Number of Discs: 7
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Clifford Curzon Edition - Complete Recordings [23 CDs + DVD]
Clifford Curzon Edition - Complete Recordings [23 CDs + DVD]
Release Date: 09/11/2012   Label: Decca  
Catalog: 001728400   Number of Discs: 24
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Browse 26-50 of 53 Available Recordings
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  • 26.
    Budapest Quartet With Clifford Curzon - Mozart, Schumann
    Budapest Quartet With Clifford Curzon - Mozart, Schumann
    Label: Music & Arts Programs Of America   Catalog: 4643 Release Date: 07/04/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Robert Schumann
    Performer:  Mischa Schneider,  Boris Kroyt,  Joseph Roisman,  Clifford Curzon  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Budapest String Quartet members,  Budapest String Quartet
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  • 27.
    Desert Island Collection - Brahms / Curzon, Knappertsbusch
    Desert Island Collection - Brahms / Curzon, Knappertsbusch
    Label: Archipel   Catalog: 222 Release Date: 06/27/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Hans Knappertsbusch
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 28.
    Restored Masterworks - Pablo Casals 1953/1956
    Restored Masterworks - Pablo Casals 1953/1956
    Label: Urania   Catalog: 929 Release Date: 04/25/2006   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Robert Schumann
    Performer:  Pablo Casals,  Rudolf Serkin,  Szymon Goldberg,  Sandor Végh  ... 
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  • 29.
    Delius, Mozart, Beethoven: Piano Concertos / Curzon
    Delius, Mozart, Beethoven: Piano Concertos / Curzon
    Label: Bbc Legends   Catalog: 4181 Release Date: 04/18/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frederick Delius,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  John Pritchard,  Bernard Haitink
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  BBC Symphony Orchestra,  London Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 30.
    Schubert: Trout Quintet, Etc; Britten: String Quartet No 2 / Amadeus String Quartet
    Schubert: Trout Quintet, Etc; Britten: String Quartet No 2 / Amadeus String Quartet
    Label: Testament   Catalog: 1001 Release Date: 11/08/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Benjamin Britten,  Franz Schubert
    Performer:  Peter Schidlof,  Norbert Brainin,  Siegmund Nissel,  Martin Lovett  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Amadeus String Quartet
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  • 31.
    Mozart; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 5 / Szell, Curzon
    Mozart; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 5 / Szell, Curzon
    Label: Urania   Catalog: 4243 Release Date: 10/25/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon,  Martin Morris,  Ernani Angelucci,  George Goslee  ... 
    Conductor:  George Szell
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Cleveland Orchestra
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  • 32.
    Original Masters - Clifford Curzon Vol 3
    Original Masters - Clifford Curzon Vol 3
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 000490902 Release Date: 08/09/2005   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Johannes Brahms,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky  ... 
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon,  Martin Lovett,  Peter Schidlof,  Norbert Brainin
    Conductor:  Sir Henry Wood,  Boyd Neel,  Enrique Jorda,  Sir Georg Solti  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Queen's Hall Orchestra,  Amadeus String Quartet members,  National Symphony, Washington, D. C.  ... 
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  • 33.
    Casals Festivals At Prades - Live Concert Performances
    Casals Festivals At Prades - Live Concert Performances
    Label: Music & Arts Programs Of America   Catalog: 1113 Release Date: 02/25/2003   Number of Discs: 13
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Robert Schumann,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Franz Schubert  ... 
    Performer:  Pablo Casals,  Rudolf Serkin,  Clifford Curzon,  Sandor Végh  ... 
    Conductor:  Pablo Casals
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Végh String Quartet,  London Collegium Musicum
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  • 34.
    Romantic Adagios Ii
    Romantic Adagios Ii
    Label: London/Decca Double Decker   Catalog: 473596 Release Date: 01/28/2003   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Edvard Grieg,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Ashkenazy,  Lynn Harrell,  Jorge Bolet,  Jeffrey Khaner  ... 
    Conductor:  Roger Norrington,  Riccardo Chailly,  Vladimir Ashkenazy,  Yehudi Menuhin  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Cleveland Orchestra  ... 
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  • 35.
    Evening Adagios - Over 2 1/2 Hours Of Peaceful Evening Music
    Evening Adagios - Over 2 1/2 Hours Of Peaceful Evening Music
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 470780 Release Date: 07/16/2002   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Erich Wolfgang Korngold,  Sir Edward Elgar,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Johann Sebastian Bach  ... 
    Performer:  Kjell Lysell,  Bengt Forsberg,  Mats Lidström,  Ulf Forsberg  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Neville Marriner,  István Kertész,  Riccardo Chailly,  George Malcolm  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy of St. Martin in the Fields,  Vienna Haydn Orchestra,  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra  ... 
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  • 36.
    Mozart: Piano Concertos No 20, 23, 24, 26 & 27 / Curzon
    Mozart: Piano Concertos No 20, 23, 24, 26 & 27 / Curzon
    Label: London/Decca Legends   Catalog: 468491 Release Date: 02/12/2002   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  István Kertész,  Benjamin Britten
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  English Chamber Orchestra
    CD: $23.99
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  • 37.
    Mozart: Concertos For Piano No 23 And 27 / Curzon, Kubelik
    Mozart: Concertos For Piano No 23 And 27 / Curzon, Kubelik
    Label: Audite   Catalog: 95466 Release Date: 09/25/2001   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Rafael Kubelik
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
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  • 38.
    Mozart, Franck, R. Strauss / Peyer, Curzon, Amadeus Quartet
    Mozart, Franck, R. Strauss / Peyer, Curzon, Amadeus Quartet
    Label: Bbc Legends   Catalog: 4061 Release Date: 02/27/2001   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Richard Strauss,  César Franck,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Peter Schidlof,  Cecil Aronowitz,  William Pleeth,  Martin Lovett  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Amadeus String Quartet
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  • 39.
    Beethoven: Piano Concertos 4 & 5 / Curzon, Knappertsbusch
    Beethoven: Piano Concertos 4 & 5 / Curzon, Knappertsbusch
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 467126 Release Date: 11/14/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Hans Knappertsbusch
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 40.
    Beethoven: Piano Concertos / Curzon, Kubelik, Bavarian Rso
    Beethoven: Piano Concertos / Curzon, Kubelik, Bavarian Rso
    Label: Audite   Catalog: 95459 Release Date: 08/29/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Rafael Kubelik
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
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  • 41.
    Mozart: Piano Concerto No 21 & 24 / Curzon, Kubelik, Et Al
    Mozart: Piano Concerto No 21 & 24 / Curzon, Kubelik, Et Al
    Label: Audite   Catalog: 95453 Release Date: 07/25/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Rafael Kubelik
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
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  • 42.
    Mozart: Double Concerto, Etc / Curzon, Barenboim, English Co
    Mozart: Double Concerto, Etc / Curzon, Barenboim, English Co
    Label: Bbc Legends   Catalog: 4037 Release Date: 04/25/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Benjamin Britten,  Clifford Curzon,  Daniel Barenboim
    Conductor:  Daniel Barenboim
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  English Chamber Orchestra
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  • 43.
    Schubert: Wanderer-fantasie; Schumann / Clifford Curzon
    Schubert: Wanderer-fantasie; Schumann / Clifford Curzon
    Label: London/Decca Legends   Catalog: 466498 Release Date: 04/11/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Schubert,  Robert Schumann
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
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  • 44.
    Schubert: Trout Quintet, Etc / Curzon, Vienna Octet, Et Al
    Schubert: Trout Quintet, Etc / Curzon, Vienna Octet, Et Al
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 460650 Release Date: 11/30/1999   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Schubert
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna Octet members,  Vienna Philharmonic String Quartet
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  • 45.
    Beethoven, Mozart: Piano Concertos / Curzon, Boulez, Et Al
    Beethoven, Mozart: Piano Concertos / Curzon, Boulez, Et Al
    Label: Bbc Legends   Catalog: 4020 Release Date: 11/16/1999   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Pierre Boulez
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  BBC Symphony Orchestra
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  • 46.
    Brahms: Piano Concerto No 1; Franck, Litolff / Curzon, Szell
    Brahms: Piano Concerto No 1; Franck, Litolff / Curzon, Szell
    Label: London/Decca Legends   Catalog: 466376 Release Date: 08/10/1999   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Henry Charles Litolff,  César Franck,  Johannes Brahms
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Sir Adrian Boult,  George Szell
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  London Symphony Orchestra
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  • 47.
    Great Piano Concertos / Clifford Curzon
    Great Piano Concertos / Clifford Curzon
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 460994 Release Date: 08/02/1999   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms,  Edvard Grieg,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Hans Knappertsbusch,  Oivin Fjeldstad,  Sir Adrian Boult,  Sir Georg Solti
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 48.
    Piano Masters - Clifford Curzon Vol 2 - Brahms, De Falla
    Piano Masters - Clifford Curzon Vol 2 - Brahms, De Falla
    Label: Pearl   Catalog: 41 Release Date: 01/19/1999   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Manuel de Falla,  Johannes Brahms
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Enrique Jorda
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  National Symphony, Washington, D. C.
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  • 49.
    Piano Masters - Clifford Curzon Vol 1 - Mozart, Liszt, Et Al
    Piano Masters - Clifford Curzon Vol 1 - Mozart, Liszt, Et Al
    Label: Pearl   Catalog: 27 Release Date: 10/20/1998   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Franz Schubert,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  Sir Henry Wood,  Boyd Neel
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Queen's Hall Orchestra,  National Symphony, Washington, D. C.
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  • 50.
    The Classic Sound - Mozart: Piano Concertos 23 & 24 / Curzon
    The Classic Sound - Mozart: Piano Concertos 23 & 24 / Curzon
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 452888 Release Date: 11/11/1997   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Clifford Curzon
    Conductor:  István Kertész
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra
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