IGNAZ FRIEDMAN

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 87, 4 July 1927, Page 13

IGNAZ FRIEDMAN

COLLOSSUS OF THE PIANO The pianoforte genius of Ignaz Friedman will be revealed to music lovers at the three concerts which will be given in Auckland at the Town Hall on Saturday, July 16, Tuesday, July 19, and Tuhrsday, July 21, under the direction of E. J. Carrol, to whom the Dominion is indebted for the visit of Kreisler. Ignaz Friedman was born at Podgorre, near Cracow, Poland, in 1882, and he took his first lesson from Gryzwinska and later studied for a long term of years with the famous master Leschetisky, whose friend and assistant he subsequently became. In composition he received his instructions from Hugo Rieman. In continental Europe Friedman quickly won fame as a brilliant Chopin player and his constant recital tours and the great number of original compositions and editions which he undertook demanded so much of his time that he had no opportunity to visit America until the winter of 1921, and it is only recently that the English concert agents could obtain a contract from him for London and provincial and it was the morning following his most recent memorable concert at the Royal Albert Hall that E. J. Carroll outbid all others and secured Friedman for a tour of Australia and New Zealand. In his early forties, he stands to-day preeminent as a master of the pianoforte and as a Chopin player he is admittedly unequalled and music lovers of this Dominion are indeed fortunate in being privileged to hear such an artist in the zenith of his powers. As a composer he ranks high, having already 85 published works on sale in practically all countries. His profound musicianship and scholarly endeavour is vouchsafed by his editing the entire works of Chopin and Liszt, editions used by many piano teachers; at present he is working on an edition of Schumann. In another column the box plan arrangements are announced together with the concessions offered to students.