Peter Katin

Peter Roy Katin (/ˈkeɪˌtɪn/ KAY-tin) (14 November 1930 – 19 March 2015) was a British classical pianist and pedagogue.

Biography

Katin was born in London; his father was sign-painter Jerrold Katin (who was born in Lithuania) and mother Gertrude.[1] Katin was educated at private schools in Balham, Caterham, and East Grinstead and the Henry Thornton School (then known as the South West London Emergency Secondary School) in Clapham,[2] and was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 12, four years younger than the official entry age, where he studied under Harold Craxton. Katin made his debut at the Wigmore Hall on 13 December 1948 where the programme included works by Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and Chopin. He went on to give concerts in England, Europe, Africa, the USA, and Japan.

In 1952, Katin debuted at The Proms and in 1953 was acclaimed for his performance there of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. In 1958, he became the first British pianist to make a post-war solo tour of the Soviet Union. In 1961, the composer Bryan Kelly wrote Tango especially for Katin.

Katin specialised in Romantic music, particularly Chopin, and Impressionist music. He was acclaimed for his technical command of the piano. He also directed concertos by Mozart and Beethoven from the keyboard. His final Wigmore Hall recital was in January 2004.[3]

Katin wrote many articles on piano technique and interpretation. He lectured at the Royal Academy of Music 1956–1959, University of Western Ontario 1978–1984, and in 1992 was appointed to the Royal College of Music. He also lectured at Thames Valley University. He supported the Campaign for Homosexual Equality in the 1970s.[4]

In 1954, Katin married fellow pianist, Ewa Zweig, with whom he had two sons, Nicholas and Andrew. After a long separation, they divorced in 1988. He lived in Bexhill-on-Sea. His two sons survive him.[4]

Recordings

Katin's recordings include:

Ludwig van Beethoven
Johannes Brahms
Fantasias Op. 116, Three Intermezzi Op. 117, Two Rhapsodies Op. 79, Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel Op. 24 (Olympia OCD 263)
Liszt: Sonata in B minor
Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a theme of Handel
Liszt: Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (Années de Pélérinage, Book 2)
Athene-Minerva ATHCD9 23009
Frédéric Chopin
Variations Brilliantes, Op. 12, Mazurka in G minor, Op. 24, No. 1, Mazurka in C major, Op. 24, No. 2, Mazurka in A flat major, Op. 24, No. 3, Mazurka in B flat minor, Op. 24, No. 4, Mazurka in F minor, Op. 68, No. 4, Rondo in C minor, Op. 1, Souvenir de Paganini, Nocturne in C sharp minor, Waltz in D flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2, Waltz in A flat major, Op. 64, No. 3, Sonata in C minor, Op. 4 (3rd mvmt), Polonaise in G minor, KK IIa, No. 1, Polonaise in B flat major, KK IVa, No. 1, Polonaise in A flat major, KK Iva, No. 2, Berceuse, Op. 57
Athene ATHCD11 / Diversions DIV24116
Four Songs from Seventeen Polish Songs (transcribed by Liszt), Op. posth. 74; Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58; Scherzo No. 4 in E major, Op. 54; Mazurka No. 14 in G minor, Op. 24 No. 1; Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E flat major, Op. 22; Nocturne in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2; Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2
(Recording issued in 2010 to mark Katin's 80th birthday and Chopin's 200th anniversary) Orchestral Concert CDs CD11/2010
Muzio Clementi
Sonata in F sharp minor, Op.25, No. 5, Sonata in B flat major, Op. 24, No. 2, Sonata in G minor, Op. 7, No. 3, Sonata in D major, Op. 25, No. 6, Sonata in F minor, Op.13, No. 6
Athene ATHCD4 / Diversions DIV24113
Edvard Grieg
Aram Khachaturian;
Franz Liszt
Liszt: Sonata in B minor
Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a theme of Handel
Liszt: Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (Années de Pélérinage, Book 2)
Athene-Minerva ATHCD9 23009
William Mathias
Felix Mendelssohn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sergei Prokofiev;
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Domenico Scarlatti
Franz Schubert
(Played on a Clementi square piano of 1832.)
Athene-Minerva ATHCD7 / Diversions DIV23007
Four Impromptus, D.899
Four Impromptus, D.935
Diversions CD24112
Robert Schumann
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasia in G major, Op.56; Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.1 in F sharp minor Op.1 (LPO/Boult) Decca SXL 2034

William Walton
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Others
Bach: Prelude and Fugue in B flat minor (from the Well Tempered Clavier - Book 1)
Mozart: Rondo in A minor
Beethoven: Piano Sonata, Op. 27, No. 2 ("Moonlight")
Schubert: Impromptus in G flat and E flat, from D.899
Debussy: Suite bergamasque
Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61
RP Music RP001

References

  1. ↑ Gloria Tessler (2015-03-22). "Peter Katin". Jewish Chronicle. p. 45.
  2. ↑ "Peter Katin, pianist - obituary". Telegraph. 2015-03-22. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  3. ↑ Tom Service (2004-01-12). "Peter Katin (Wigmore Hall, London)". Retrieved 2015-04-12.
  4. 1 2 Barry Millington (2015-03-29). "Peter Katin obituary". Retrieved 2015-04-12.
  5. ↑ This recording is of the last time Katin played this work in public. He vowed never to play it again after this performance, per this audio recollection by Peter Katin.
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