Rudolf Firkusny

Firkušný received instruction in piano and composition from Janacek, continued at the Brno Conservatory with Ruzena Kurzová between 1920 and 1927, and completed further studies at the Prague Conservatory under Vilém Kurz and Rudolf Karel. Between 1929 and 1930 he took additional composition lessons with Suk. He first appeared publicly in Prague in 1922, then sustained a busy schedule of concerts across Eastern Europe that lasted until his initial London engagement in 1933 and his United States debut five years later. Among his own works stand a piano concerto given its premiere in 1930, a string quartet, and assorted piano pieces together with songs.

Once established in America, Firkušný developed a global performing career and later joined the faculties of Juilliard and the Aspen School of Music. Although his name remained linked above all with the central nineteenth-century repertoire, he earned equal regard for his ensemble playing and for his advocacy of both recent scores and neglected earlier pieces. He introduced compositions by Menotti, Barber, Ginastera, Hanson, and Martinu, among others, while devoting special energy to the music of Dvorák and Janacek. Observers consistently praised the refinement of his interpretations more than any display of technical display.