Perhaps you’re observing the holy day of Yom Kippur today (in which case you’re probably not on the computer), but if saints are your thing, you‘d be hard pressed to find one more beloved than St. Francis of Assisi – unless you’ve misplaced your car keys, in which case St. Anthony is your man. Today is the Feast Day of St. Francis, so be sure to take a moment to kiss your pet.
Here’s Franz Liszt’s “St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds,” as performed by Mieczyslaw Horszowski:
In his later years, Horszowski was a venerated piano pedagogue at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Although he was never a musical celebrity, I feel sheepish admitting that in my callow youth, at the time I saw him perform in the 1980s, I was unfamiliar with his estimable reputation among musicians. I did a double-take when I deduced his age from a program note. He was well into his 90s, but played with a hypnotic fluency that belied his years.
Sometime later, I was very much looking forward to his 100th birthday recital – scheduled to take place at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square, I seem to recall – but unfortunately he had to cancel due to ill health. Horszowski died in 1993, one month shy of his 101st birthday. Surely, Horszowski had one of the longest careers of any performer. He was already playing in public in 1901!
He was a pupil of Leschetizky, who was a pupil of Czerny, who was a pupil of Beethoven. Here’s his obituary in the New York Times:
He didn’t marry until the age of 89 (perhaps the secret to his longevity?).
All of his recordings are cherishable, but I have a special soft spot for three albums he recorded for Nonesuch records late in life, especially his Chopin, which is some of the most beautiful I have ever heard. His “Kinderszenen” is also excellent, and his Mozart. Okay, everything this man touched turned to gold.
Here he is at 95, playing Chopin in Tokyo:
PHOTO: Break the fast with St. Francis
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