Acclaimed classical Pianist known for playing the great composers with a precise, modernist flair.
He was trained under several notable instructors, including Ima Hogg, Ruth Burr, David Saperton, and Ernest Hutcheson.
He was a master improviser, but still learned the works of Haydn, Beethoven, and Chopin. His interpretations added a kind of coolness and a level of detail appropriate to the modern age.
He was born in Lufkin, Texas, and started playing around on the piano at age three. He was performing in public by six, which led his parents to enroll him at the Curtis Institute.
He gave both the American premiere and the New York premiere of Benjamin Britten's piano concerto in 1948 and 1949, respectively. He also served as soloist for its first recording in 1956.
