From the LP shown above, issued on the Command Classics label in 1962. Leonid Hambro (June 26, 1920, Chicago -- October 23, 2006, New York City) was an American concert pianist and composer. He studied at the Juilliard School, and won First Prize at the National Naumburg Competition in 1946. He was the musical sidekick of Victor Borge for ten years, from 1961 to 1970 although he would occasionally perform with Borge throughout the remainder of Borge's career. In 1970 he became the Head of the Piano Department of the California Institute of the Arts, at Valencia, California, and Assistant Dean of the School of Music, holding these posts until 1992. Hambro was Artist in Residence of the Aspen Institute and the official pianist of radio WQXR, New York. He played with the P. D. Q. Bach performances and the Hoffnung Musical Spoof Concerts. He published with Jascha Zayde The Complete Pianist (Ludlow Music Inc., New York). He also composed the piano piece Happy Birthday Dear Ludwig, a set of five variations on "Happy Birthday to You" in the style of many famous Beethoven pieces such as Minuet in G, Sonata Pathétique, Moonlight Sonata, Für Elise, and the Fifth Symphony. Леонид Гамбро (англ. Leonid Hambro; 26 июня 1920, Чикаго — 23 октября 2006, Нью-Йорк) — американский пианист и композитор русско-еврейского происхождения. Отец Гамбро, Семён Музыкант, был тапёром; он изменил свою фамилию в соответствии с тем видом на жительство в США, который ему удалось приобрести. Гамбро окончил Джульярдскую школу, в 1946 г. выиграл Наумбурговский конкурс молодых исполнителей. В 1940-50-е гг. Гамбро вместе с другим пианистом, Яшей Зайде, вёл совместные программы на нью-йоркской радиостанции классической музыки WQXR, а также концертировал дуэтом. В 1952 г. он произвёл фурор, в течение суток выучив и исполнив (вместо заболевшего исполнителя) сложнейшее сочинение Пауля Хиндемита в присутствии композитора, заявившего слушателям после концерта, что они стали свидетелями своего рода чуда. Following is from Jascha Zayde's NYT Obituary ( http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/06/arts/jascha-zayde-87-pianist-on-new-york-radio.html ) : Jascha Zayde, a pianist, composer and conductor who for more than three decades gave weekly performances on WQXR, the radio station owned by The New York Times, died on Friday (9/6/1999) at Lenox Hill Hospital. He was 87 and lived in Manhattan. Mr. Zayde was the first staff musician hired by WQXR, soon after the station was founded in 1936. At first he was the host of a weekly radio program called ''The Development of Piano Music.'' When the station hired a second pianist, Clifford Herzer, Mr. Zayde and Mr. Herzer formed a two-piano team. Their weekly performances quickly became one of the station's most popular programs. When Mr. Herzer went into the Navy, the station hired another pianist, Leonid Hambro, to take his place in the duo. Mr. Zayde and Mr. Hambro were a popular team, on the radio and in concert, through the 1960's. They also made a highly regarded recording of the Poulenc Sonata for Two Pianos. Mr. Zayde was born to Russian parents living in Mercedes, Argentina, on Oct. 25, 1911. His family moved to the United States when he was 6 months old. He began studying the piano when he was 3, and when he was 7 he played a debut recital for which he was praised in The Musical Courier for his ''assurance, technical development, as well as repose.'' Cesar Franck / Leonid Hambro / Jascha Zayde, 1962: Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op.18 (Williams) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvjPaI33a9Y

• published: 17 Jul 2014
• views: 116