Julius Katchen
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Julius Katchen (August 15, 1926 - April 29, 1969) was a Jewish-born, American concert pianist.
Early career
Katchen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and debuted at age 10, playing Mozart's D minor Concerto. Eugene Ormandy heard of his debut, and invited him to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra in New York. He studied music with grandparents, immigrants from Europe who had taught at the Moscow and Warsaw conservatories, until he was 14. He attended Haverford College, completing a four-year degree in philosophy in three years, graduating first in his class in 1946.
He went to Paris and was invited to represent the United States at the first International UNESCO Festival, where he played Beethoven's Emperor Concerto with the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française. He then toured Europe in the spring of 1947, playing recitals in Rome, Venice, Naples, Paris, London and Salzburg. After this, he decided to live in Paris permanently, saying "In the USA piano students come together constructively, and they can even become friends. They attend one another's concerts and applaud. In Paris they go to hear a colleague play, but only in the hope of seeing him break his neck."
Late career
In December 1968, Julius played at a two-day show in London hosted by the Rolling Stones. Katchen played two songs and the performance was exceptional. The DVD of the show is now available, called Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus. His last public appearance was with the London Symphony Orchestra on December 12, 1968, playing Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand. He succumbed to cancer the next spring.
Katchen and his wife Arlette were avid - one might almost say fanatical - and astute collectors of netsuke; 195 pieces from their collection were sold at auction in 2005 and 2006 for £1.2 million ($2.2 million) (Sotheby's 2005 and 2006).
References
- "The Katchen Collection of Netsuke - Part I", Sotheby's, 8 November 2005, London
- "The Katchen Collection of Netsuke - Part II", Sotheby's, 11 July 2006, London
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