Fou Ts’ong | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 傅聰 | |||||||
.jpg) Fou Ts'ong in 1965 | |||||||
| Born | (1934-03-10)10 March 1934 Shanghai, China | ||||||
| Died | 28 December 2020(2020-12-28) (aged 86) London, England | ||||||
| Occupation | Pianist | ||||||
| Spouse | |||||||
| Parent | Fu Lei (father) | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 傅聰 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 傅聪 | ||||||
| |||||||
Fou Ts'ong (Chinese:傅聰;pinyin:Fù Cōng; 10 March 1934 – 28 December 2020) was a Chinese and British pianist[1][2][3] who was the first pianist of his national origin to achieve international recognition.[4][5][6] He came to prominence after winning third prize and the Polish Radio Prize for the best performance ofChopin's mazurkas in the 1955V International Chopin Piano Competition, and remained particularly known as an interpreter ofChopin's music.[6][7]
Fou Ts'ong was born inShanghai on 10 March 1934 to a family of intellectuals; his father was the translatorFu Lei.[8] Fou's parents Fu Lei and Zhu Meifu were persecuted during theCultural Revolution and committed suicide in September 1966.[6][9] Fou Ts'ong had a brother named Fu Min.[9]
Fou first studied piano withMario Paci, the Italian founder of theShanghai Symphony Orchestra.[2]
In 1951, Fou made his debut in his hometown of Shanghai, performing Beethoven'sPiano Concerto No. 5.[10] Subsequently, officials in Beijing selected Fou to perform and compete in eastern Europe.[11] In 1953, he won the third prize at theGeorge Enescu International Competition.[12] That year, at the age of nineteen,[6] he moved to Europe to continue his training at the State College of Music in Warsaw (now theFryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw) withZbigniew Drzewiecki. In 1955, Fou won the third prize and the Polish Radio Prize for the best performances ofChopin's mazurkas in theV International Chopin Piano Competition.[10][13] While studying in Warsaw, he gave concerts in Eastern Europe.[10]
In 1958 or 1959, Fou settled permanently in London,[6][14] and soon began giving concerts in Europe and the United States.[6] In 1959, he performed underCarlo Maria Giulini at theRoyal Albert Hall.[15] He made his debut with theNew York Philharmonic underPaul Paray inChopin'sPiano Concerto No. 2 (Op. 21) in November 1961.[5]Harold C. Schonberg ofThe New York Times called Fou a "sincere musician", but was otherwise critical of the performance, calling his conception of the piece "heavy and sometimes awkward, with little of the grace, charm or sophistication that the Chopin F minor contains".[5]
Fou was nominated for aGrammy for most promising new classical artist in 1963 for a recording ofScarlatti's sonatas.[16] In 1964, he made his New York recital debut at Town Hall.The New York Times was more favourable in its review of this recital than his New York Philharmonic debut, noting his "admirable lyricism" in playingMozart,Schubert, andDebussy.[17] He subsequently returned to New York several times; reviewing a 1987 recital atAlice Tully Hall,Bernard Holland ofThe New York Times described Fou as "an artist who uses his considerable pianistic gifts in pursuit of musical goals and not for show", and noted his "sensitive ear for color and that elusive gift of melody, whereby linear movement stretches and contracts in order to explain harmonic tensions."[18] In 1967, Fou performed the GriegPiano Concerto with theBBC Symphony Orchestra underSir Colin Davis as part of theFirst Night of the Proms.[19] Around that time, he also performed in a piano trio withHugh Maguire andJacqueline du Pré.[20] He also performed in Australia, South America and the Far East.[2]
He remained associated throughout his career with playingChopin,[6] and Fou's recital programmes often included several of his works.[2] Writing in 1960,Hermann Hesse said of Fou's playing of Chopin that he surpassed the previous masters, Padereweski, Fischer, Lipatti, Cortot. Indeed hearing Fou, he said, was to hear the "pure gold" of Chopin himself playing. Speaking of his playing, Hesse said: "It breathed the fragrance of violets, of rain in Majorca and also of exclusive salons, it rang of melancholy and rang of modishness, the rhythmic definition was as sensitive as the dynamics. It was a wonder."[21] James Methuen-Campbell, in Fou's entry inGrove'sDictionary, also notes his interpretations of Debussy, Mozart and late Schubert, highlighting his "delicate touch and keen sensibility".[2] Fou's playing gained praise from fellow musicians. In 1965,Martha Argerich acknowledged the influence of his recordings when she won the International Chopin Competition.[10] In 1994, Fou's friends and fellow pianists Argerich,Leon Fleisher andRadu Lupu jointly issued a CD entitledThe Pianistic Art of Fou Ts'ong; in the CD's sleeve notes, they declared Fou "one of the greatest pianists of our times".[10] The Chinese pianistLang Lang has described Fou as a role model, praising his "unique" understanding of music.[6] Among his other recordings are the Chopin mazurkas for Sony and the MozartPiano Concerto No. 7 for three pianos withVladimir Ashkenazy,Daniel Barenboim, and theEnglish Chamber Orchestra.[22][23]
He was a member of theQueen Elisabeth Music Competition's jury in 1991,[24] 1999,[25] 2003,[26] 2007,[27] and 2010.[15] He also served on the jury of the Chopin Competition in 1985[28] and 2010,[29] and on the jury of thePaloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition in 2002.[30]
From 1960 to 1969, Fou was married to Zamira Menuhin, the daughter ofYehudi Menuhin, with whom he had one son. Their marriage ended in divorce.[31] A brief marriage to Hijong Hyun from 1973 to 1976 also ended in divorce.[32][11][33] In 1987,[11] Fou married the Chinese pianistPatsy Toh,[34] with whom he had one son.[6]
Fou died fromCOVID-19 in London on 28 December 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic in England at age 86.[4]
And the fact does remain that no Chinese pianist has as yet achieved international fame
C'est sans doute ce sens mélodique qui avait séduit le jury du cinquième Concours Frédéric Chopin de Varsovie, dont il sort troisième en 1955, juste derrière ...Vladimir Ashkenazy !
