Rudolf Serkin: A Life

by Stephen Lehmann, Marion Faber

This book is the first biography of 20th-century pianist Rudolf Serkin, providing a narrative of Serkin's life with emphasis on his European roots and the impact of his move to America. Based on his personal papers and correspondence, as well as extensive interviews with friends, family, and colleagues, the authors focus on three key aspects of Serkin's work, particularly as it unfolded in his art and career as a pianist, his activities as a pedagogue, including his long association with the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, and his key role in institutionalizing a redefinition of musical values in America through his work as artistic director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival in Vermont. A candid and colorful blend of narrative and interviews, it offers a probing look into the life and character of this very private man and powerful musical personality.

Genres: Biography, Music

360 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2002

Reviews

[Okan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What made me want to start this biography of Serkin is a curiosity about his marriage, which sounds strange at first sight, given he had been living with his to-be in-laws as a young bachelor since his wife was a three y.o. baby. That story the author gives in less than one page, without any juicy material. In the remaining three hundred and fifty pages, the book follows the life of this interesting man as he builds his musical career, from early-20th-century central Europe to the blooming US musical scene in the post-WWII era. He was not only a star performer but also an educator, administrator, and "institution-establisher". Serkin was an important figure in Europe and the US and had close relations with equally or more important other figures. So there is a lot of colorful material that could have been covered, and if the book sometimes remains a bit dull and uninspiring, it has to do with the fact that Serkin was also a very private man who left little behind as he sought to keep his profile low vis-a-vis his art. (However, the author seems to have had unlimited access to his lifelong correspondence, and I am sure that correspondence could make a very interesting separate volume.) The most interesting bits for me were the interviews made with his students and younger colleagues. These interviews uncover a complex character that puts his art on a platonic pedestal, torments himself tirelessly to be able to do justice to this art, and can sometimes be very demanding to the people around himself, though by all accounts he was not a bad person.

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rudolf Serkin was born to a lower middle class Jewish family in Germany. His father was a second-rate musician with a good voice who moved from Belarus to Austria-Hungary. Recognized as a gifted pianist as young as six, he was sent to Vienna to learn the craft. Rudi followed his father and was not religious. After years of study he finally joined Adolph Busch and his wife as part of their chamber music ensemble. He ultimately took up residence with the family, became a de-facto son and then married Irene Busch, their daughter.

Busch was a virulent anti-Nazi. They moved to Switzerland and ultimately America. Their Serkin became more famous than his father-in-law through his solo tours. He always loved, deferred to, and remained loyal to Busch until his death in 1952,

He taught and then ran the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia for decades. He also founded the Marboro Festival near his Vermont home and remained with that institution until his death in his early 80’s in 1990.

Musically Serkin was famous for his accurate rendering of the composer’s text. His did not believe musicians should change the music to suit their temperament. He practiced endlessly. He favored the classic works of Mozart, Brahms, and Beethoven. He studied with Schoenberg but never favored that kind of music.

Known also a generous supporter of young artists and as a great musical educator with a hands-off style, he was beloved by most of his associates who remember him as being truly humble yet demanding of himself and others.