Rudolf Serkin A Life

This book is the first biography of 20th-century pianist Rudolf Serkin, providing a narrative of Serkin's life with emphasis on his European roots and the impact of his move to America. Based on his personal papers and correspondence, as well as extensive interviews with friends, family, andcolleagues, the authors focus on three key aspects of Serkin's work, particularly as it unfolded in America: his art and career as a pianist, his activities as a pedagogue, including his long association with the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, and his key role in institutionalizing a redefinitionof musical values in America through his work as artistic director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival in Vermont. A candid and colorful blend of narrative and interviews, it offers a probing look into the life and character of this very private man and powerful musical personality. Along witha discography by Paul Farber that documents an essential part of Serkin's achievement, the book includes a CD of previously unreleased Serkin performances of Bach, Mendelssohn, and Chopin.

Stephen Lehmann is the Humanities Bibliographer at the University of Pennsylvania Library. Marion Faber is Professor of German at Swarthmore College.