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Piano Man: Life of John Ogdon
The first full biography of John Ogdon; a tortured genius and arguably the greatest British pianist of all time. From the beginning of his professional career as a soloist John Ogdon was hailed as a musician of rare understanding and phenomenal technical gifts. Able to play and memorize just about any score at sight, tales of his impossible exploits at the keyboard are legion. Yet Ogdon was a man of extremes and it was this very extremity, while the source of much of his gift, that also led to appalling suffering. Here was a man whose feelings were inexpressibly deep and often tormenting, and Ogdon's glory days, following his coveted Tchaikovsky prize in 1962, came to a sudden end in 1973 when he suffered a severe mental breakdown which led to his being certified insane and made patient of the Court of Protection. Over the course of several harrowing years Ogdon would spend large periods of time in and out of psychiatric wards and halfway houses. The drugs and treatments prescribed sometimes affected his coordination, and his reputation suffered as a result. Yet Ogdon's commitment to his art remained undimmed, and until the end he drew out performances of tremendous beauty and conviction from the depths of his ravaged heart. In this illuminating biography, Charles Beauclerk explores the life of a brilliantly inspired artist, for whom music was both his cross and his salvation.
- GenresBiography
541 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 28, 2016
A virtuoso who spurned showmanship, a formidable intellect and yet ‘the most patronised man of the 20th century,’ John Ogdon was perhaps one of British music’s greatest contradictions. Having won the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1962, he became a concert pianist of considerable standing and left behind him a rich legacy of recorded work. He remains unique despite living in an era characterised by its notable interpreters.
‘Piano Man’, the new biography by Charles Beauclerk, is essentially the story of genius beset by mental illness, and succeeds in presenting Ogdon as a man of astonishing talent and sensitivity. He later struggled with terrible psychotic episodes to the extent that he was eventually made a patient of the Court of Protection. In the worst years of his illness he either ‘submitted or erupted’ in response to the dictates of his wife (who, in spite of the author’s tentative defence, cannot fail to come across in a somewhat poor light) and attempted to take his own life three times. Such were his levels of introversion, a large part of his musical life involved sublimating these intense emotional troubles into interpretations of depth and poignancy.
Beauclerk proves an adept narrator, and draws upon musical observations and literary parallels that enrich his narrative, quoting generously from Moby Dick - the object of Ogdon’s perennial fascination. Having said this, his psychological pontifications on the nature of his subject’s obsessions and family relationships can be intrusive. At the beginning of one chapter, what begins with a relatively interesting digression on Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘A Descent Into the Maelstrom’ ends with sentences as distracting as: “It is the mind or ego that, in its superficiality, creates mayhem and disorder. The unconscious, on the other hand, however disorientating, has its roots in divine order. (Ultimately though, the division of mind into conscious and unconscious is a false dichotomy that closes the door on the reality of a holistic perception.)” The passage is abstruse, and the parenthetical self-rebuke has taken us far from our subject.
It is not before time that a biography of John Ogdon was written, and despite its flaws ‘Piano Man’ will encourage many to rediscover an artist who achieved total mastery of his craft, and who dignified and brought to public attention large parts of the repertoire which were formerly inaccessible. Ogdon’s enthusiasm for Sorabji and his contemporaries is infectious, and the opening of the book, recounting the first performance of the monstrous (and monstrously named) Opus Clavicembalisticum, is one of its highlights.
Like Sviatoslav Richter (about whom a comprehensive biography is still non-existent) Ogdon was principally interested in the formal entirety of a work, and was incapable of ‘playing to the crowd’ to satisfy the tastes of an inconstant audience. It is this single-mindedness, this spirit of absolute self-confidence, that is the sine qua non of the great interpreter. There is no doubting that Ogdon had it in abundance.
‘Piano Man’, the new biography by Charles Beauclerk, is essentially the story of genius beset by mental illness, and succeeds in presenting Ogdon as a man of astonishing talent and sensitivity. He later struggled with terrible psychotic episodes to the extent that he was eventually made a patient of the Court of Protection. In the worst years of his illness he either ‘submitted or erupted’ in response to the dictates of his wife (who, in spite of the author’s tentative defence, cannot fail to come across in a somewhat poor light) and attempted to take his own life three times. Such were his levels of introversion, a large part of his musical life involved sublimating these intense emotional troubles into interpretations of depth and poignancy.
Beauclerk proves an adept narrator, and draws upon musical observations and literary parallels that enrich his narrative, quoting generously from Moby Dick - the object of Ogdon’s perennial fascination. Having said this, his psychological pontifications on the nature of his subject’s obsessions and family relationships can be intrusive. At the beginning of one chapter, what begins with a relatively interesting digression on Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘A Descent Into the Maelstrom’ ends with sentences as distracting as: “It is the mind or ego that, in its superficiality, creates mayhem and disorder. The unconscious, on the other hand, however disorientating, has its roots in divine order. (Ultimately though, the division of mind into conscious and unconscious is a false dichotomy that closes the door on the reality of a holistic perception.)” The passage is abstruse, and the parenthetical self-rebuke has taken us far from our subject.
It is not before time that a biography of John Ogdon was written, and despite its flaws ‘Piano Man’ will encourage many to rediscover an artist who achieved total mastery of his craft, and who dignified and brought to public attention large parts of the repertoire which were formerly inaccessible. Ogdon’s enthusiasm for Sorabji and his contemporaries is infectious, and the opening of the book, recounting the first performance of the monstrous (and monstrously named) Opus Clavicembalisticum, is one of its highlights.
Like Sviatoslav Richter (about whom a comprehensive biography is still non-existent) Ogdon was principally interested in the formal entirety of a work, and was incapable of ‘playing to the crowd’ to satisfy the tastes of an inconstant audience. It is this single-mindedness, this spirit of absolute self-confidence, that is the sine qua non of the great interpreter. There is no doubting that Ogdon had it in abundance.
October 26, 2019
It took me a while to read this book but I am very glad that I did. It portrays a remarkable musician with almost savant skills of perception, memory and instant appreciation of the structure of a piece. At the same time, Ogdon was a man with a troubled mind and consequently a difficult life and marriage.
Reading the book is a roller-coaster of inspiration, sadness, amusement, and astonishment. I experienced moments of anger at the way in which Ogdon seemed to be exploited but at the same time he lived his life through music and it was the only way he could effectively communicate.
No doubt, like all biographies, there are elements of bias and inaccuracy and it will not be to everyone's taste but it is definitely a worthwhile read whether you are a pianist or just interested in people. I felt that Beauclerk was trying to be understanding of Brenda Lucas Ogdon's position as John's wife but there was clearly some blame to be laid at her door. At the same time, she definitely enabled much of his life and career. Who is to say what goes on between people?
Reading the book is a roller-coaster of inspiration, sadness, amusement, and astonishment. I experienced moments of anger at the way in which Ogdon seemed to be exploited but at the same time he lived his life through music and it was the only way he could effectively communicate.
No doubt, like all biographies, there are elements of bias and inaccuracy and it will not be to everyone's taste but it is definitely a worthwhile read whether you are a pianist or just interested in people. I felt that Beauclerk was trying to be understanding of Brenda Lucas Ogdon's position as John's wife but there was clearly some blame to be laid at her door. At the same time, she definitely enabled much of his life and career. Who is to say what goes on between people?
September 10, 2022
Hugely informative insight into the life and music-making of a tortured genius. Reading the book without listening to John Ogdon's piano playing could lead to an assumption that his morbidity and introspection produced playing which teetered on the edge of a precipice, but that was not always the case as he was capable of beautiful lyrical playing with a tender touch. Difficult to tease out aspects of joy in his life in spite of the joy he brought to many through his playing, with his wife's response to his deteriorating mental health particularly hard to read. Many lessons to be gleaned from the pain and suffering.
August 11, 2021
Although this was an interesting read I found it both upsetting and depressing. The style is gossipy and rather patchy in its cohesion and linear progression. John's wife it appears was a nightmare, this being substantiated by other accounts. I would like to have seen a more detailed discussion of John's playing which after all was most significant and I felt there was too much emphasis on the the negative side of his life and of course on his mental problems.
March 29, 2023
Absolutely poetic book - one of the best biographies I’ve ever read (hugely researched, written such such confidence you might think it was an autobiography or close friend writing it). I’m not a piano or classical music enthusiast, but still loved it. One of the best music books about that world.
June 4, 2025
A brilliant insight into the difficult life of this wonderful artist. Very well written and engaging.
September 25, 2026
A very moving biography of an extraordinary genius.
August 21, 2014
An extremely well written account of the genius and madness that was John Ogdon.
John had a strange childhood - he was a toddler when his father, Howard, a schizophrenic attacked his mother, Dorothy, with an axe. The oldest boy managed to fend him off, but Howard was then committed to an asylum, and Dorothy turned her attention to John, already showing signs of being a musical prodigy. Prodded by his mother and encouraged by his teacher he made it to the Royal Manchester College of Music, which is where he crossed paths with Brenda Lucas, another local girl, who was to become his wife.
Brenda, herself a piano player, studying at the college, yearned to climb the social ladder, and, once married to John, re-invented herself, changing from a homely Lancashire girl to a more acceptable woman with the "right" accent.
This book details his rise to fame, his battle with mental illness and his return to the public stage, much of which makes for uncomfortable reading, even though it is handled in a sympathetic way.
John's piano playing was exciting, dynamic and sublime, and it is for this his is most well known, but he was also an accomplished composer. Since reading this book I am listening again to some of his recordings, and in fact, as I write I have my headphones on as I listen to John playing Busoni's Piano Concerto in C Major Op 39 - wonderful! He was an extraordinary man with an extraordinary talent, but also with demons. It has been said that he played the piano to keep those demons at bay
I doubt this book will be widely read, but it is essential reading for those interested in John Ogdon, mental health issues, and classical music.
John had a strange childhood - he was a toddler when his father, Howard, a schizophrenic attacked his mother, Dorothy, with an axe. The oldest boy managed to fend him off, but Howard was then committed to an asylum, and Dorothy turned her attention to John, already showing signs of being a musical prodigy. Prodded by his mother and encouraged by his teacher he made it to the Royal Manchester College of Music, which is where he crossed paths with Brenda Lucas, another local girl, who was to become his wife.
Brenda, herself a piano player, studying at the college, yearned to climb the social ladder, and, once married to John, re-invented herself, changing from a homely Lancashire girl to a more acceptable woman with the "right" accent.
This book details his rise to fame, his battle with mental illness and his return to the public stage, much of which makes for uncomfortable reading, even though it is handled in a sympathetic way.
John's piano playing was exciting, dynamic and sublime, and it is for this his is most well known, but he was also an accomplished composer. Since reading this book I am listening again to some of his recordings, and in fact, as I write I have my headphones on as I listen to John playing Busoni's Piano Concerto in C Major Op 39 - wonderful! He was an extraordinary man with an extraordinary talent, but also with demons. It has been said that he played the piano to keep those demons at bay
I doubt this book will be widely read, but it is essential reading for those interested in John Ogdon, mental health issues, and classical music.
December 12, 2015
Una biografia esaustiva del pianista, che ne esalta la personalità e la genialità. E' la storia di un uomo sfortunato che viene travolto da un crollo mentale, segnato da un'infanzia poco felice e da un matrimonio che non era stato da meno. La sua genialità sarà l'unica sua ancora di salvezza.
July 28, 2014
This is an interesting book about a remarkable man. Recommended for any one but especially for any one interested in piano/pianism.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews