1. Alexis Sigismund Weissenberg was a Bulgarian-born French pianist.
11 Facts About Alexis Weissenberg
1. 2.
Alexis Weissenberg gave his first public performance at the age of eight.
3.
In 1945, they emigrated to Palestine, where Alexis Weissenberg studied under Leo Kestenberg and performed Beethoven with the Palestine Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Bernstein.
4.
In 1946, Alexis Weissenberg went to the Juilliard School to study with Olga Samaroff.
5.
In 1947, Alexis Weissenberg made his New York City debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and George Szell in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 3 and with Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy, with which Alexis Weissenberg won the Leventritt Competition.
6.
Alexis Weissenberg resumed his career in 1966 with a recital in Paris.
7.
Alexis Weissenberg had many notable students at his Piano Master Class in Engelberg, including Kirill Gerstein, Simon Mulligan, Ivan Moravec, Mehmet Okonsar, Nazzareno Carusi, Andrey Ponochevny, Loris Karpell, and Roberto Carnevale among them.
8.
Alexis Weissenberg composed piano music and a musical, Nostalgie, premiered at the State Theatre of Darmstadt on 17 October 1992.
9.
Alexis Weissenberg died on 8 January 2012 at the age of 82 in Lugano, Switzerland, after suffering from Parkinson's disease.
10.
Alexis Weissenberg was survived by three children, David, Cristina and Maria.
11.
Alexis Weissenberg recorded extensively, including works of Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Chopin.