Walter Gieseking

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Walter Wilhelm Gieseking (November 5, 1895 – October 26, 1956) was a French-German pianist and composer.

Gieseking is said to have been a natural and intuitive pianist. According to legend, he never practiced except in his own mind. He apparently would study the score, imagine playing it, and then perform it flawlessly. His habit of spending hours in total silence as he pored over scores is said to have frustrated his wife to no end.

Born in Lyon in France, Gieseking was largely self-taught as a pianist until he studied at the conservatory in Hanover. He remained in Germany during World War II, and also performed sometimes in Nazi-occupied France; these things led to accusations of collaboration with the Nazi Party. A number of his concerts, particularly in the United States, had to be cancelled because of protests against him. Eventually he was cleared of any wrong-doing by an Allied court. He died in London during a recording of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 15 for HMV. He had completed the first three movements and, the following day, was due to record the forth. Sadly, he died during the night. Luckily, HMV thought it fit to release the unfinished recording.

Gieseking had a very wide repertoire, ranging from the core works by Ludwig van Beethoven through to more modern works by the likes of Ferruccio Busoni and Arnold Schoenberg. He gave the premiere of the Piano Concerto by Hans Pfitzner in 1923. He is primarily remembered today, however, as one of the great interpreters of Mozart, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Specifically, his recordings of Debussy's Préludes, done in 1953 and 1955, have been re-released by EMI Classics in their "Great Recordings of the Century" collection.

Gieseking was also an amateur lepidopterist.

Bibliography

Gieseking, Walter, So wurde ich Pianist (autobiography), 1963

Leimer, Karl and Gieseking, Walter The Shortest Way to Pianistic Perfection, 1932
—, Rhythmics, Dynamics, Pedal and Other Problems of Piano Playing, 1938

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