Mark Hambourg, the pianist on this album, was born in Russia and came from an extremely musical family, with his father being a pianist and teacher, and his two brothers having international careers as a cellist and violinist.
Recording & Production
The earliest piano recordings, including some by Mark Hambourg, were notoriously difficult to make and involved multiple horn set-ups for different registers of the piano.
Performer Biography
As a child prodigy, Mark Hambourg made his London debut at the age of ten, playing works including Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue and Beethoven's Piano Sonata in A flat, Op 26.
Recording & Production
Mark Hambourg disliked the recording process, finding it fatiguing due to nervous tension and incessant repetition required to achieve technical perfection.
Performer Biography
Mark Hambourg studied with Theodor Leschetizky, a renowned piano teacher, after Ignacy Paderewski, a famous Polish pianist and composer, heard him play and recommended the study.
Interpretation
Mark Hambourg's playing style, described as being in the 'grand manner', reflected his own personality, which conductor and pianist Sir Landon Ronald characterized as 'always fortissimo' and 'volcanic'.
Cultural Impact
Mark Hambourg was one of the first pianists to appear on television in 1937 and had made his radio debut in 1935.
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