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Born: October 3, 1957 - London, England
Died: December 23, 1979 - Beachy Head, England |
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The outstanding English pianist, Terence Judd, was born of English-American parents. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music. In 1967, aged 10, he won 1st prize at the National Junior Pianoforte Competition, and he came to the attention of Eileen Joyce, who supported and encouraged him. He also studied with Maria Curcio, the last and favourite pupil of Artur Schnabel. In 1978 he arrive to the 4th place at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
Known particularly for his championship of virtuosic romantic works, above all the music of Franz Liszt, Terence Judd brought a characteristic exuberance and clarity of expression to his performances; and his recordings bear witness to that. His renditions of Alberto Ginastera's Piano Sonata No. 1 and Samuel Barber's Piano Sonata remain as milestones for other pianists, and his memorable performances of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, which he played back-to-back in the finals of the 1978 Tchaikovsky Competition, are among the most exciting of these well-known virtuosic works.
In 1979, aged 22 and poised on the verge of a musical career, Terence Judd committed suicide by throwing himself off Beachy Head. The Terence Judd Award is given in his honour. |
