#44 Shura Cherkassky (1911-1995)

THE RUSSIAN pianist Shura Cherkassky was the very definition of mercurial. Possessed of a startling virtuoso technique, he was as capable of giving a perfunctory performance as he was of something utterly transcendental and aweinspiring. You never knew which you would get.

I knew Cherkassky, who was a friend of my uncle. His mercurial playing mirrored his personality. His mood could swing in a moment from friendly to cold or vice versa. Conductors felt the same — he would do one thing in rehearsal but the performance could be altogether different.

His first teacher was his mother, who is said to have played for Tchaikovsky. In the US he studied under the legendary Josef Hofmann at the Curtis Institute. He was taught that he had to practise for a minimum of four hours every day, which he did until his death, and which he credited for maintaining his virtuoso skills into his eighties.

Cherkassky was born in Odesa in 1909 but the family left for the US to flee the revolution. Under Hofmann he began to give concerts and immediately gained a following. He was soon booked for tours both of the US and globally. He was at his best in concert rather than the recording studio, thriving on an audience.

After the war he began to perform more in Europe, regularly playing at the Salzburg Festival. In the 1960s, he moved to London both to have a European base — much of his US recital work dried up — and because his Wigmore Hall recitals had started to become legendary. He lived in the same flat in the White House, near Regent’s Park, from 1961 until his death in 1995.

Throughout his career Cherkassky gave recitals in the world’s leading halls and with major orchestras and conductors, with his “old school” approach offering something that, by the 1970s and 80s, had become almost unique. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.

Most of his later recordings were of live concerts, and they are a far better reflection of his gifts. His repertoire was vast, from Handel and Bach to Gershwin and Berio. He was a compelling artist, but in truth he never received the acclaim and standing he really deserved.

He was at his best performing in concert rather than the recording studio, thriving on an audience