About This Item
Menahem Pressler was born in 1923 in Magdeburg, Germany. In 1938 he emigrated to Israel, where he received most of his musical training. His career was launched following winning of the first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. His successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy was followed by tours of North America and Europe, including performances with the New York Philharmonic, as well as Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Oslo and Helsinki Orchestras. In 1955 Menahem Pressler founded the Beaux Arts Trio with violinist Daniel Guilet and cellist Bernard Greenhouse. The Trio, (with a few 'turnovers' in the strings) continued for more than 50 years and was one of the most prominent and respected chamber groups of all time. Pressler is a piano professor at Indiana University in Bloomington and is a regular on juries of international piano competitions such as the Van Cliburn, Queen Elizabeth, and Arthur Rubinstein competitions. He is one of the world's most revered chamber musicians. His collaborations included many engagements with the Juilliard, Emerson, Guarneri and Cleveland String Quartets. Most of these Mozart and Beethoven recordings, made c. 1966-68, are here heard on modern recordings for the first time.
