His career spanned nearly eight decades and took him to the world’s most prestigious concert halls. His list of collaborators reads like a Who’s Who of A-list classical musicians – many of whom make more than cameo appearances in his posthumously published tell-all memoir. And on Thanksgiving Day this year, pianist Earl Wild (1915-2010) would have added “centenarian” to his list of accomplishments.
Record producers Jon Samuels and Joe Patrych marked the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Earl Wild’s birth as hosts of Earl Wild: a Centenary Celebration, a production of WFMT, Chicago. The two-hour audio feature recaps Wild’s life and extraordinary career, from his childhood and early professional career in his native Pittsburgh, through his landmark White House recitals and his seven years as Artist-in-Residence at The Ohio State University, to his legacy of recordings ranging from Bach and Buxtehude to the great romantic piano concertos and beyond.
Equally at home with the great Romantic piano concertos and the American Songbook, with Baroque nuggets and virtuoso salon pieces, here is Earl Wild in a rippling performance of Un sospiro by Franz Liszt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aOw0sU24Ho
On Thanksgiving celebrate the contributions of one of the finest pianists of our time with Earl Wild: A Centenary Celebration. Listen at the link below.
Listen to Earl Wild: A Centenary Celebration here:
