The Georgian pianist Alexander Toradze has died.

On April 23, Toradze suffered heart failure in Vancouver, Washington, in the middle of a performance of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Incredibly, he finished the piece. Then he went to the hospital. It was only then that he learned what had happened.

Not long after, he posted a message from his bed, in which he was evidently in great spirits – even lauding his doctor, who was still in the room – and full of optimism for a speedy recovery.

Toradze was professor of piano at University of Indiana University South Bend from 1991 until his retirement from teaching in 2017. He made his home in the United States since 1983.

As a performer, he was a powerhouse especially in the Russian repertoire. Also on the Vancouver program was Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments. In a comparison of 70 recordings, his performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 was selected by International Piano Quarterly as “historically the best on record.”

Toradze offered the following advice to aspiring pianists in an interview with classical radio host Bruce Duffie: “Don’t forget to pray to God before each performance, and don’t forget to give your soul enough air. Believe in the right purpose of art and believe in being human.”

http://www.bruceduffie.com/toradze.html

Toradze died on Tuesday. May 30 would have been his 70th birthday. Dasvidaniya, Lexo.

In conversation with Joseph Horowitz

The finale of Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7

The lyrical heart of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2