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
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
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
Recommendation
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
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
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.
...
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
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
...
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
...
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
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
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
Recommendation
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
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
Recommendation
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
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.
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.