Earl Wild RIP

[rachfan]

Here is the LA Times obituary for Earl Wild.  I recall first hearing him playing Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and the "Concerto in F" with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops back in the 1960s.  In those days he used to play often with pops orchestras like the Cincinnati and at the Hollywood Bowl.  As the years went on he became increasingly better known for performing the more serious literature of the piano, making a great many outstanding recordings along the way as well, even in his very late years.  It is quite amazing how he seemed to retain his incredible dexterity right into his 90s.  He also made a huge contribution to the literature by transcribing many of Rachmaninoff's Songs, which are now gorgeous piano solos thanks to his efforts.  He had a wonderful way of recreating the Rachmaninoff idiom, more so than Babin or Volodos in my opinion.  The obituary:

By Valerie J. Nelson

January 26, 2010

     Earl Wild, the elder statesman of American piano virtuosos who was often called "the last of the great Romantic pianists," died Saturday at his home in Palm Springs. He was 94.

He died of congestive heart failure after a long illness, his companion, Michael Rolland Davis, said on Wild’s website.

Wild had to be "the world's only pianist to have composed for Sid Caesar, toured with Eleanor Roosevelt and been ranked in dexterity with Vladimir Horowitz," the Washington Post pointed out in 1986.

Stewart Gordon, a longtime professor of keyboard studies at USC, called Wild "a magnificent pianist" who "combined his art with great personal charm and wit."

These traits helped sustain him "as an international ambassador, playing and teaching with equal ease at multiple levels, from being a favorite of European royalty to offering words of wisdom to aspiring young musicians," Gordon said in an e-mail to The Times.

Wild continued giving lessons until last week and gave his last public performance at 92 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Associated Press reported.

He was born Nov. 26, 1915, in Pittsburgh, and by age 6 his fluid piano technique was already "a source of wonder," Time magazine said in 1995.

As a teen, he was a concert-hall veteran and studied with the distinguished Dutch pianist Egon Petri. After attending what is now Carnegie Mellon University, Wild joined Arturo Toscanini's NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1937.

Two years later, Wild gave the first piano recital on television. He first experienced fame after Toscanini asked him to play piano for a 1942 radio broadcast of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

He also became pigeonholed as a specialist in the pops repertory, particularly Gershwin, and in the works of Franz Liszt, even though his musical arsenal was vast.

An immaculate technician, Wild made more than 100 recordings "of the widest possible piano repertory," which reflected "not only lofty technical standards but a striking musical sophistication," Daniel Cariaga, then a music critic for The Times, wrote in 2005.

Many pianists consider Wild's recordings for Reader's Digest of the four Rachmaninoff concertos to be "the quintessential, definitive performance of those works," Gordon told The Times in 2005.

When Wild wasn't playing flute in the Navy band during World War II, he often traveled with then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to perform the national anthem before her speeches.

He also played piano for six consecutive presidents, from Herbert Hoover to Lyndon B. Johnson.

After the war, he joined ABC as a staff pianist, conductor and composer until 1968. His own compositions included the Easter oratorio "Revelations," first broadcast on ABC in 1962, and many piano transcriptions.

In the 1950s, he wrote musical parodies for Caesar's NBC show after the comedian sought help spoofing operas.

Certain "elitist quarters" never forgave Wild his early work in radio and TV, "his nonintellectual approach to music and his refreshingly nonchalant virtuosity," the New York Times reported in 2005.

By the 1950s, Wild had a well-established concert career and went on to play with many U.S. orchestras. He also taught piano at Juilliard in the 1970s and early 1980s.

He won a Grammy Award in 1997 for his disc "The Romantic Master," which included works by Saint-Saens and Handel.

In 2005, Wild marked his 90th birthday with a boisterous recital at Carnegie Hall given months after his quadruple-bypass surgery.

Even a decade ago, Wild often practiced eight hours a day but didn't consider it practice. "It's more like breathing," he once said.

Davis, his companion of 38 years, is his only survivor.  

[john11inc]

Davis, his companion of 38 years

I *** hate America.

[pianowolfi]

I love his Rach recordings. And he was one of the rather few persons who could write pianistically attractive "transcriptions". An outstanding artist. A great virtuoso.

[retrouvailles]

I certainly admired a few recordings of him, and his daring spirit to keep the Romantic era of pianism alive. However, he was not one of my favorite pianists. There were a few aspects of his tone quality that really bothered me. However, he is one of the few pianists to keep a great sound overall into his older years. His transcriptions to me are a nice guilty pleasure.

[ahinton]

I *** hate America.

Might you care to expand both on your statement here and your reason for making it, in the specific context of your quote of the observation about Michael Rolland Davis to which it appeared to be a response?

Best,

Alistair

[john11inc]

Might you care to expand both on your statement here and your reason for making it, in the specific context of your quote of the observation about Michael Rolland Davis to which it appeared to be a response?

Best,

Alistair

Given the wording, I would wonder if Mr. Davis was blue tick or red merle.

[birba]

that's supposed to explain why you said "i***hate america"?! you're going to have to clearer than that.

[john11inc]

that's supposed to explain why you said "i***hate america"?! you're going to have to clearer than that.

I don't have to do anything.  Also, you do realize I'm American, right?

[birba]

so am i, but what does that have to do with it? i was just curious about this red tick and blue merle thing. of course you don't HAVE to do anything.  but i hear anger anf agressiveness in your tone.

[ahinton]

I had thought that this thread was about the recently deceased Earl Wild. It sadly seems that I may have been somewhat mistaken...

Anyway - RIP...

Best,

Alistair

[john11inc]

I had thought that this thread was about the recently deceased Earl Wild. It sadly seems that I may have been somewhat mistaken...

Anyway - RIP...

Best,

Alistair

Oh, how crass of me to find offense in the living instead of the dead, as well as to find more offense in a direction other than yours.  How egotistical of me

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I'm so grateful to Earl Wild for the many hours of pleasure his recordings have given me. I'll always have a soft spot for his 60s recordings of transcriptions by Liszt and others.

[ahinton]

Oh, how crass of me to find offense in the living instead of the dead, as well as to find more offense in a direction other than yours.  How egotistical of me

I made no mention of any kind of offense (to use your American spelling). I merely sought to return the thread to its topic. What do you think of Wild's playing?

Best,

Alistair

[john11inc]

I made no mention of any kind of offense (to use your American spelling). I merely sought to return the thread to its topic. What do you think of Wild's playing?

Best,

Alistair

Hit and miss.

Do they still write "connexion" in the UK?

[ahinton]

Do they still write "connexion" in the UK?

"Connection" is the more usual UK spelling for that word.

Best,

Alistair

[arensky]

Certain "elitist quarters" never forgave Wild his early work in radio and TV, "his nonintellectual approach to music and his refreshingly nonchalant virtuosity," the New York Times reported in 2005.
 

I often hate America too.

And the classical music establishment.

RIP Earl, you were a real trooper  

[peterjmathis]

RIP, man. Anyone who considers piano like breathing is fine by me.