SOLOMON (SOLOMON CUTNER)
British pianist (1902 - 1988)

Solomon Cutner was known simply as Solomon throughout his professional life.  As a child, he was a pupil of Mathilde Verne, herself a pupil of Clara Schumann and early teacher of another of the greatest of English pianists, Moura Lympany.  He toured the United States and Australia extensively and gave the world premier performance of the Arthur Bliss B♭ major piano concerto at the New York World's Fair in 1939.  A movement of this fine concerto can be heard by following this link: Solomon plays Concerti.

When one hears or reads about the great Beethoven pianists, one so often encounters the names of Artur Schnabel, Daniel Barenboim, and a number of others, all very splendid pianists.  Some few, like Annie Fischer, surely do deserve to be cited among the all time great performers of Beethoven's music for the piano.  But to my mind, the names Solomon Cutner and Beethoven are synonymous in the pantheon of great composers and their greatest interpreters: Solomon plays Beethoven.

Solomon Cutner was a supremely intelligent and thoughtful pianist.  Not a note was out of place.  But the elasticity of his playing, the perfect ritardandi and accelerandi, the perfect breathing and breadth of his phrasing makes one ever aware of what his performances bring out of the music.  He was elegance incarnate, and though these words have so often used to describe Artur Rubinstein's playing (I have done so myself), Solomon never leaves me with the impression that the elegance of his playing distances him from the heart and soul of the music.

Solomon Cutner's recording of the Chopin Fantaisie and 4th Ballade are perfect examples of his art.  They are entirely devoid of stylistic eccentricities.  The recording of the Bach Chorale demonstrates a tonal richness that is, simply put, to die for.  And his Brahms!

The comparison of three performances of Liszt's "La Leggierezza" is very interesting.  All three pianists, Magda Tagliaferro, Solomon, and Carlo Zecchi have much to offer.  But from the point of view of the touch required for this piece, I must say my heart goes to Magda.

Schubert  Impromptu in A♭ major, D 899 (Op 90~4)

recorded in 1956