Camille Saint-Saëns, impressed by Godowsky's playing, offered to adopt him if he changed his name, a proposal Godowsky rejected.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Godowsky's Chopin transcriptions, like the Waltz in F minor, Op. 70 No. 2, add a 'Lisztian dimension' by delicately filling out the original textures.
Composer Biography
Godowsky sought to study with Liszt but, upon learning of Liszt's death, instead traveled to Paris to study with Camille Saint-Saëns, a distinguished pianist and composer.
Composer Biography
Leopold Godowsky, a Polish-American pianist, showed exceptional musical ability by age three and made his public debut as a pianist at age nine.
Performer Biography
Konstantin Scherbakov, the pianist on this album, is recording the complete piano music of Leopold Godowsky for Marco Polo.
Composer Biography
Godowsky briefly studied with Ernst Rudorff, a pupil of Clara Schumann and Moscheles, at the Berlin Musikhochschule, but left after only four months.
Composer Biography
Godowsky's career as a performer ended in 1930 due to a stroke, after which he focused on his compositions and transcriptions for piano.
