New Earl Wild Biography by Ian Hominick Published by Bloomsbury Academic
New Earl Wild Biography by Ian Hominick Published by Bloomsbury Academic Earl Wild: The Brilliant Career of an American Pianist A major new biography of Earl Wild is now available from Bloomsbury Academic. Earl Wild: The Brilliant Career of an American Pianist, by pianist and scholar Ian Hominick, traces the remarkable course of Wild’s life and career—from his early years in Pittsburgh through radio and television, the NBC and ABC networks, international touring, landmark recordings, teaching, composition, transcription, and his final decades as one of America’s most distinctive piano virtuosos. Drawing on extensive research, Hominick follows a career that resisted easy categorization. Wild moved freely between the concert hall, broadcasting studio, recording session, popular music, orchestral repertoire, transcription, composition, and teaching at a time when classical musicians were often expected to remain within much narrower boundaries. Bloomsbury describes the book as an account of Wild’s unconventional path through American musical life and the extraordinary range of work that resulted from it. The book also places important chapters of Wild’s career in their historical context: his years at NBC, his association with Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony, wartime service in Washington, work with ABC and Paul Whiteman, his relationship with the music of George Gershwin, major premieres and recordings, university appointments, the resurgence of interest in Romantic piano transcription, and his final touring years. About Ian Hominick Ian Hominick brings an unusually close perspective to the project. He studied piano with Earl Wild and later served as Wild’s assistant while completing his doctoral studies at Ohio State University. He is Professor of Music and Chair of the Piano Area at the University of Mississippi. That connection, combined with years of research into Wild’s career, gives the biography particular importance for listeners, pianists, scholars, and anyone interested in twentieth-century American musical history. The publication also arrives as EarlWild.com expands the Earl Wild Archives, including searchable catalogues of Wild’s original compositions, solo repertoire, radio and television appearances, and documented public performances such as his chamber music. Readers of Hominick’s biography can use the archives to continue exploring the repertoire, broadcasts, venues, collaborators, and compositions that shaped Wild’s extraordinary career. Order the book from Bloomsbury Academic: Earl Wild: The Brilliant Career of an American Pianist — Bloomsbury Academic About the author: Ian Hominick — University of Mississippi Nearly ninety year old pianist performed only European concert in the Concertgebouw By Erik Voermans There is no lack of pianists who took to the stage at a very high age. Rubinstein, Horowitz, Arrau and Cherkassy all were well in their eighties when they last performed, all of them advertised as ‘the last great romantics’. So let’s regard Earl Wild as the very very last great romantic. He will be ninety in November. Last night he gave a recital -his only in Europe- in the Great Hall of the Concertgebouw which was packed. This will be without a doubt his last recital in the Old World. When he waved to the public during the final applause it was more than a thank you – it felt like a farewell. A deeply moving moment. Earl Wild, with his eighty years of concert experience, has always been the man of super virtuosity, veiled in great and scintillating elegance. He still plays with incredible ease, his noble figure still and upright, while his enormous hands appear to soar over the keyboard. But age does count at this point in time. Due to physical unease the program was shortened a little, as a result Mr. Wild’s outrageously complex Virtuoso Etude based on Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm was left out. Still, this was an unforgettable recital. Even though several notes were missed in Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2 and the Fantaisie Impromptu op.66, and Ballads Nos.1 and 3 were played with a certain shallowness, Liszt’s Les jeux d’eau a la Villa d’Este marveled in cascades of colour and a delicate jeux perle that is rare among pianists today. With an extremely refined pianissimo in the Largo e mesto from Beethoven’s Sonata No.7, he made such wonderful shades appear from his Steinway, the audience could not help but applaud at the last note. Wild gestured his fingers as if he were saying: “hold on, two more movements to come”. During the final piece, the Mexican Hat Dance, Wild’s motor memory failed him for a second, therefore he had to start anew. Once again applause, once again his lulling hands. “Now I will start again” he said. And this time it went right. But the encore that many hoped for was too much to ask. Perhaps Earl Wild will play Carnegie Hall on November the 29th, to celebrate his ninetieth anniversary. De Telegraaf, 27 September 2005 Historic opening of Master Pianist Series By Roeland Hazendonk This season the Master Pianist Series opened with a unique performance by the nearly ninety year old American pianist Earl Wild. The ‘Romantic Legend’ broke a record in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with his performance at such a high age: Arthur Rubinstein’s last performance was at the age of 87 and Vladimir Horowitz ended his career when he was 80 years old. Wild is the last living example of the great romantic tradition that originated before World War II. He hasn’t performed in the Netherlands that much – it has been nearly ten years since he played here – but he has built a tremendous career in his home country. Of course, a ninety year old will not play as fresh as someone in his fifties, but last night there were numerous moments in which a remarkable past revived in the present. A dim reflection of that past surfaced in Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op.10 No. 3. Wild’s interpretation was never really great, the tone lacked essence and the typical round touch of the old master rather diluted the accuracy of Beethoven’s music. Besides, the performance was hindered by wandering tempi and technical imperfections that will no doubt have something to do with the age of the pianist. With today’s
Stamina for Demanding Works (and a Wild Ole)
The New York Times, 25 July 2005 Stamina for Demanding Works (and a Wild Ole) By ANTHONY TOMMASINI Age is finally catching up with the American virtuoso pianist Earl Wild, who will turn 90 in November. But the aging process, it would seem, has largely affected his legs. When he walked out on Saturday for a recital at the Mannes College of Music, part of the school’s two-week International Keyboard Institute and Festival, he needed a steadying hand to help him up the few stairs that led to the stage. But once seated at the keyboard, he looked terrific, with a glint in his eyes and his thick white hair stylishly groomed. More important, for a solid hour he played works by Beethoven, Liszt and Chopin impressively, and also performed his own shamelessly showy and amusing piano fantasy on “Jarabe Tapatio,” better known as the “Mexican Hat Dance.” Though, understandably, his playing has lost some incisiveness, accuracy and power, it still abounds in fluidity and naturalness. Ease and elegance remain the hallmarks of his pianism. He played through his formidable program without a visible droplet of perspiration on his brow, without so much as unbuttoning his sky-blue sports coat. He began with Beethoven’s early Sonata No. 7 in D, a long and technically demanding four-movement work. Though you don’t turn to Mr. Wild for probingly intellectual insights into Beethoven, his playing was ebullient and spontaneous. He utterly stilled the audience, which packed the hall, with his gravely beautiful and boldly slow account of the somber second movement, played with great expressive freedom yet magisterial restraint. If the passagework in Liszt’s “Jeux d’Eau a la Villa d’Este” was sometimes, let’s say, approximate, Mr. Wild’s performance was a marvel of watery textures and fetching colors. His approach to two well-known Chopin works – the Third Ballade and the Fantaisie-Impromptu – might have seemed a remnant of an Old World conception of Romanticism, with a liberal sense of rubato. But this was impetuous and engaging playing. After intermission the announcer, author and pianophile David Dubal held an onstage interview with Mr. Wild, who, witty and irreverent as ever, told of playing the flute in the Navy Band, his stint as house pianist in the early days of NBC television and other stories. He also shared some musical tricks he amuses himself with, like playing the Chopin etudes down a step in key, or revealing how by just adding a plaintive harmony to a descending D major scale you can evoke the “suffering Tchaikovsky.” Nearly ninety year old pianist performed only European concert in the Concertgebouw By Erik Voermans There is no lack of pianists who took to the stage at a very high age. Rubinstein, Horowitz, Arrau and Cherkassy all were well in their eighties when they last performed, all of them advertised as ‘the last great romantics’. So let’s regard Earl Wild as the very very last great romantic. He will be ninety in November. Last night he gave a recital -his only in Europe- in the Great Hall of the Concertgebouw which was packed. This will be without a doubt his last recital in the Old World. When he waved to the public during the final applause it was more than a thank you – it felt like a farewell. A deeply moving moment. Earl Wild, with his eighty years of concert experience, has always been the man of super virtuosity, veiled in great and scintillating elegance. He still plays with incredible ease, his noble figure still and upright, while his enormous hands appear to soar over the keyboard. But age does count at this point in time. Due to physical unease the program was shortened a little, as a result Mr. Wild’s outrageously complex Virtuoso Etude based on Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm was left out. Still, this was an unforgettable recital. Even though several notes were missed in Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2 and the Fantaisie Impromptu op.66, and Ballads Nos.1 and 3 were played with a certain shallowness, Liszt’s Les jeux d’eau a la Villa d’Este marveled in cascades of colour and a delicate jeux perle that is rare among pianists today. With an extremely refined pianissimo in the Largo e mesto from Beethoven’s Sonata No.7, he made such wonderful shades appear from his Steinway, the audience could not help but applaud at the last note. Wild gestured his fingers as if he were saying: “hold on, two more movements to come”. During the final piece, the Mexican Hat Dance, Wild’s motor memory failed him for a second, therefore he had to start anew. Once again applause, once again his lulling hands. “Now I will start again” he said. And this time it went right. But the encore that many hoped for was too much to ask. Perhaps Earl Wild will play Carnegie Hall on November the 29th, to celebrate his ninetieth anniversary. De Telegraaf, 27 September 2005 Historic opening of Master Pianist Series By Roeland Hazendonk This season the Master Pianist Series opened with a unique performance by the nearly ninety year old American pianist Earl Wild. The ‘Romantic Legend’ broke a record in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with his performance at such a high age: Arthur Rubinstein’s last performance was at the age of 87 and Vladimir Horowitz ended his career when he was 80 years old. Wild is the last living example of the great romantic tradition that originated before World War II. He hasn’t performed in the Netherlands that much – it has been nearly ten years since he played here – but he has built a tremendous career in his home country. Of course, a ninety year old will not play as fresh as someone in his fifties, but last night there were numerous moments in which a remarkable past revived in the present. A dim reflection of that past surfaced in Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op.10 No. 3. Wild’s interpretation was never really great, the tone lacked essence and the typical round touch of the
Unforgettable recital by Earl Wild – Het Parool
Het Parool, 26 September 2005 Unforgettable recital by Earl Wild Nearly ninety year old pianist performed only European concert in the Concertgebouw By Erik Voermans Nearly ninety year old pianist performed only European concert in the Concertgebouw By Erik Voermans There is no lack of pianists who took to the stage at a very high age. Rubinstein, Horowitz, Arrau and Cherkassy all were well in their eighties when they last performed, all of them advertised as ‘the last great romantics’. So let’s regard Earl Wild as the very very last great romantic. He will be ninety in November. Last night he gave a recital -his only in Europe- in the Great Hall of the Concertgebouw which was packed. This will be without a doubt his last recital in the Old World. When he waved to the public during the final applause it was more than a thank you – it felt like a farewell. A deeply moving moment. Earl Wild, with his eighty years of concert experience, has always been the man of super virtuosity, veiled in great and scintillating elegance. He still plays with incredible ease, his noble figure still and upright, while his enormous hands appear to soar over the keyboard. But age does count at this point in time. Due to physical unease the program was shortened a little, as a result Mr. Wild’s outrageously complex Virtuoso Etude based on Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm was left out. Still, this was an unforgettable recital. Even though several notes were missed in Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2 and the Fantaisie Impromptu op.66, and Ballads Nos.1 and 3 were played with a certain shallowness, Liszt’s Les jeux d’eau a la Villa d’Este marveled in cascades of colour and a delicate jeux perle that is rare among pianists today. With an extremely refined pianissimo in the Largo e mesto from Beethoven’s Sonata No.7, he made such wonderful shades appear from his Steinway, the audience could not help but applaud at the last note. Wild gestured his fingers as if he were saying: “hold on, two more movements to come”. During the final piece, the Mexican Hat Dance, Wild’s motor memory failed him for a second, therefore he had to start anew. Once again applause, once again his lulling hands. “Now I will start again” he said. And this time it went right. But the encore that many hoped for was too much to ask. Perhaps Earl Wild will play Carnegie Hall on November the 29th, to celebrate his ninetieth anniversary. De Telegraaf, 27 September 2005 Historic opening of Master Pianist Series By Roeland Hazendonk This season the Master Pianist Series opened with a unique performance by the nearly ninety year old American pianist Earl Wild. The ‘Romantic Legend’ broke a record in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with his performance at such a high age: Arthur Rubinstein’s last performance was at the age of 87 and Vladimir Horowitz ended his career when he was 80 years old. Wild is the last living example of the great romantic tradition that originated before World War II. He hasn’t performed in the Netherlands that much – it has been nearly ten years since he played here – but he has built a tremendous career in his home country. Of course, a ninety year old will not play as fresh as someone in his fifties, but last night there were numerous moments in which a remarkable past revived in the present. A dim reflection of that past surfaced in Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op.10 No. 3. Wild’s interpretation was never really great, the tone lacked essence and the typical round touch of the old master rather diluted the accuracy of Beethoven’s music. Besides, the performance was hindered by wandering tempi and technical imperfections that will no doubt have something to do with the age of the pianist. With today’s knowledge of authentic Beethoven in mind, this interpretation sounded somewhat dated as well. Nothing of the sort in the Chopin interpretations Wild played after the interval. Particularly during the poetic movements a beautiful intimate Chopin appeared, of a kind one does not hear anymore and which, in contrast to Wild’s Beethoven, is very near to the concept of this music. In the First Ballade Op.23, Wild regained the strength that must have weakened over the years. Here and there a note was missed – a practise which was actually quite common for many great pianists half a century ago – but the virtuosity of the final movement of this piece was of a superb tone and technically flawless. The Fantaisie-Impromptu is more poetic than the First Ballade, something which was expressed through Wild’s beautifully tender and wonderfully coloured interpretation. With his own virtuoso piece, Mexican Hat Dance, Wild revived the nineteen-thirties. By tradition of Liszt and his pupils, Wild produced a spectacular piece of salon music based on a traditional Mexican Mariachi tune. After a failed first attempt, Wild played his Hat Dance with all the swing that belongs to the pre-war era. Although this is a kind of sophisticated bar music, this piece contains various musical surprises and harmonic twists. Trouw, 27 September 2005 A kiss, a doctor and a blood pressure meter lend wings to Earl Wild By Christo Lelie A doctor seated on the first row, a blood pressure meter in the dressing room and a reduced program. These are some of the details to Earl Wild’s only concert in Europe, last Sunday in Amsterdam. A recital Marco Riaskoff, the promoter of the evening, labeled the most risky in his career. But you don’t get a ninety year old to perform on stage every day. It became clear this was going to be a very special concert, when Earl Wild was escorted to the piano by his partner and manager, many years his junior, and received an encouraging kiss. The pianist opened the recital with his own adaptation of an Adagio by famous baroque composer Marcello. At times his playing was nervous and insecure, but instantly
Charleston Post and Courier – Pianist Delivers riveting performance
Charleston Post and Courier, 9 Nov 2005 Pianist Delivers riveting performance By William Furtwangler Earl Wild is an American phenomenon. This living legend pianist, just a few days short of his 90th birthday, offered a riveting program Tuesday night that gave his appreciative audience (including a lot of college-age students) a glimpse of what great piano playing is all about. The College of Charleston School of the Arts presented Wild at the Sottile Theatre as part of its International Piano Series. Wild opened with his transcription of an Adagio by Alessandro Marcello (1684-1750). Wild transfixed his audience with this short, somber work. Wild’s extraordinary keyboard style and gift of audience communication are at a level of the grand masters of the past. Wild delivered a dramatic and intense reading of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3. A lot of pianists play Beethoven, but few achieve the Olympian quality Wild reaches. Wild’s style is characterized by detailed articulation, poetic phrasing and a thrilling use of dynamic shading. These qualities were apparent in Franz Liszt’s “Les jeux d’eaux a la Villa d’Este.” Liszt (1811-1886) composed an unbelievably beautiful and melodic picture of an ornate fountain; in Wild’s hands, it became otherworldly. The next four works were Frederic Chopin’s (1810-1849): Ballades No.1 in G Minor, Op. 23, and No. 3 in A-flat, Op.47, Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op.31 and Fantaisie-Impromptu No. 4, Op.66. Wild offered us a masculine-sounding Chopin, without unnecessary neuroticism layered on, as many pianists today think is necessary.