Rudolf Serkin

He is something of the heavyweight hero of the piano, the tragic figure of self-destructive expression, the dramatist of intensely dramatic monologues. He fills his programs with challenging and uncharted works, without regard for the “market conditions,” and without regard for himself.

Just as he does not spare himself, he does not spare his audience either; he immerses himself and others in piano recitals of extended duration, demanding a significant level of concentration. With Rudolf Serkin, there is no concert-induced slumber, not even with eyes open. One is not transported to a “better” world, which could be achieved more quickly and comfortably with some kind of psychotropic drug. In Rudolf Serkin, the Doctor Faust of the piano, one senses a glimpse of “what holds the world together at its core.”