A pianist from another century, Alfred Cortot was one of the greatest virtuosos and interpreters of the classical repertoire, if not the greatest of his time. Born in 1877, he entered the Paris Conservatoire after a childhood spent in Switzerland, where he rubbed shoulders with the pupils of Frédéric Chopin, becoming an eminent interpreter. Encouraged by Arthur Rubinstein, Alfred Cortot won first prize at the Conservatoire and played in Parisian salons. As a conductor, he led premieres of Wagner, Brahms and Beethoven, and in 1905 formed one of the greatest trios of the twentieth century with Jacques Thibaut and Pablo Casals. Co-founder of the École normale de musique de Paris in 1919, Cortot established himself not only as an unrivalled pianist, but also as a first-rate pedagogue admired by his peers. After being pilloried for his lack of stance during the Second World War and his concerts in Germany, Cortot was rehabilitated after the Liberation for his musical activism. Retired to his native France, Alfred Cortot died in 1962, leaving behind a legacy of incomparable recordings of Chopin, Liszt, Schumann and Debussy, still admired by music lovers today. Released fifty years after his death, this boxed set of 40 CDs perfectly illustrates the savoir-faire of this poet of the piano.
