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American pianist Byron Janis died March 14 at a Manhattan, New York hospital; he was 95. One of three pupils recognized by Vladimir Horowitz, he was a star pianist alongside Van Cliburn in the early 1960s and contributed to the thawing of the U.S.-Soviet relationship by performing in Moscow in 1960 and 1962.
His real name is Byron Janks and he was born in McKeesport, PA. His wife Maria, a painter, is the only daughter of actor Gary Cooper. Known as a child prodigy, she gave her first recital at the age of eight and studied at the Juilliard School in New York after two years of lessons with the famous pianists Joseph and Rosina Levin.
In 1943, at the age of 15, he made his debut under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. The following year, 1944, he performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 under the direction of the young Lorin Maazel. Horowitz, who had heard the concert, asked him to teach, and he took lessons from him for four years. It is said that under his tutelage, the foundation for creating brilliant music that spun rich tones typical of the Russian musical school was established.
In 1958, the 23-year-old American pianist Van Cliburn made international headlines when he won the first “Tchaikovsky International Competition,” which staked the prestige of the former Soviet Union. Shortly thereafter, in 1960, in the mood for a thaw between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Janis was sent to Moscow, the capital of the former Soviet Union, as the first American pianist. He returned to Moscow in 1962. Both were sensational successes and made their names ring around the world. The live recordings made at that time also became best sellers and are highly acclaimed as masterpieces.
This led him to make numerous concert tours. In 1966, he was invited to the Château de Toilly in the suburbs of Paris, where he happened to discover Chopin’s autograph scores, including Waltz No. 11. Since then, he has also been involved in revising the waltz scores.
However, in 1973, he began to suffer from severe arthritis and stopped working. Later, during the 1984 presidential award dinner at the White House, he revealed that he had been suffering from severe arthritis for several decades and had undergone surgery. After taking a break from performing, he taught younger students at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
He has been invited by four sitting presidents to perform at the White House six times and has been awarded the “Legion of Honor” by the French government. He has also received honorary doctorates from Yale University and other institutions.
PHOTO：https://www.facebook.com/ByronJanis/
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