No other German pianist in the 20th century had a similar international
career like Walter Gieseking. He made several concert tours around the
world, he made hundreds of radio appearances, he had an extensive recording
career, he authored several books - some are still in print today -
,and he was revered by audiences and critics alike.
Gieseking was born in France of German parentage. Although his father
was a medical doctor, he never practised medicine. Instead he more or
less successfully earned his money as a freelance entomologist. Since
catching butterflies and preparating them involved a lot of travelling
through sparsely populated regions, little Walter never went to school.
This did not prevent him from teaching himself to read and write. Walter
autodidactically learned everything he could put his hand on, even mathematics.
Usually a piano was also available, so Gieseking taught himself to play
and within a reasonably short time he was able to play the complete
Bach and many works of other composers. He got acquainted with the music
of Richard Wagner and played whole operas from score. Like his father
he was an ardent entomologist. Two butterfly subspecies are named after
Gieseking: Giesekingiana and Walteri.
The year 1911 was a turning-point for Walter Gieseking. He became a
pupil to Professor Karl Leimer of the Hannover Conservatory. Leimer
had devised a new method of piano playing where "relaxatation"
of arm and hand, emphasis on the cerebral aspects of pianism and total
loyalty to the composer´s intentions were of paramount importance.
Gieseking was the self-taught prototype who already had all the qualities
Leimer wanted to teach the next generation of pianists. In a time, when
the last exponents of the so called romantic era like Pachman, Rosenthal
and Hofmann were still active, Leimer had a living proof of the validity
of his methods.
Gieseking accumulated an enormous repertoire while studying with Leimer
. It included many works of Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven. He performed
the complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas in six concerts in 1915/1916.
1916 Gieseking had to interrupt his career to serve as a soldier. But
due to intercession of his teacher and since Gieseking was French by
birth, he was not allowed to fight as a front line fighter. Instead
he was sent to the Isle of Borkum where he worked as military musician.
There he had to perform a lot of dance music of the lighter vein - in
later life he even published some of his light music under the pseudonym
of "Willking Giese".
When he was released from his military duties in 1918 he immediately
resumed his concert career. He was a pioneer performer of the avantgarde
composers of the time. He played Busoni, Korngold, Scott, Schoenberg,
Marx, Ravel and Debussy. The latter he had discovered in 1914 and he
became the chief exponent of his music.
After a concert at the Berlin Singakademie Gieseking was hailed as the
new Anton Rubinstein. The famous pastry manufacturer Bahlsen made it
possible for Gieseking to get a contract with the internationally renowned
concert agent Arthur Bernstein.
In 1925 he married his old friend Annie Haake, 1926 Gieseking made his
first concert appearance in the United States.
Many of his admirers never understood why Gieseking remained in Germany
after 1933. Perhaps it was political nativity. Anyway, he was never
politically active and avoided contact with the political rulers. Although
his concert agent Bernstein as a jew could not be active for him after
1933, Gieseking remained loyal to Bernstein and supported him.
After the war his international career was not easily resumed. His first
United States tour had to be cancelled because of massive demonstrations
- Gieseking had to leave the United States without having touched any
piano. For his next tour to New York in 1953 the government granted
him a body-guard. But, however, in Carnegy Hall the American audience
gave him standing ovations.
Gieseking travelled round the world and gave many concert appearances.
Hundreds of recordings were made including the complete Mozart, Debussy
and Ravel piano works. He was severely injured in two car accidents
in 1951 and 1955. His wife died as a result of the second accident.
Gieseking resumed his concert activities too soon. While on the project
to record the complete Beethoven Sonatas he collapsed in the studio.
He died on October
26th ,1956 in London.
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