Joseph Alfidi
Encyclopedia
Joseph Alfidi is an America
n pianist
, composer
, and conductor
and a former child prodigy
who was born in Yonkers, New York
. The son of American-born parents of Italian descent, his father, Frank Alfidi, was a trumpet player who ran a music school in Yonkers. Known as "Joey" in his childhood, he was three when he started to play several instruments in his father's studio. By the age of four, he frequently improvised little compositions at the piano, and soon became fascinated by symphonic music as well.
on Long Island.
On November 18, 1956, the 7 year old appeared in Carnegie Hall
, conducting the Symphony of the Air. The ambitious program included 2 overtures - those to Mozart
's The Marriage of Figaro
and Rossini
's William Tell
- Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony
, and Beethoven's 5th.
At the age of 8, on November 17, 1957, he starred in the American TV game-show What's My Line?.
Further appearances in New York with the Symphony of the Air followed in 1957, 1958, and 1960, and Joey conducted in many other American cities and toured Europe. He attended rehearsals and concerts led by Leopold Stokowski
, Guido Cantelli
, Pierre Monteux
, Sir Thomas Beecham
, and Leonard Bernstein
.
He was invited to the Vatican
where he performed for Pope John XXIII
, who said the boy might turn out to be "another Mozart".
Joey continued to perform as a piano virtuoso and to write symphonic compositions, chamber music, and piano works as he mastered conducting
. In late November 1960, the 11 year old appeared with the Antwerp Philharmonic and was hailed as "the greatest child prodigy since Mozart". On December 1, 1960, he gave a royal command performance at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels before the Dowager Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, appearing in his multiple roles as pianist, conductor, and composer.
The live recording of this concert was released as a 2-LP set called "Command Performance" that contains his own Piano Concerto No 2, Beethoven Symphony No 8
conducted by Alfidi, Beethoven 3rd Piano Concerto
, Chopin Etude Op. 25 No 12
, and Rachmaninoff Prelude in C-sharp Minor.
He accepted an invitation from Queen Elisabeth to study at the Brussels Conservatory, where his teachers included Eduardo del Pueyo and Jean Absil. In 1965, he received his Diplôme Supérieur for the piano and joined the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth for a three year term of study.
In 1972, Alfidi entered the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels and won 3rd prize in a tightly contested field, placing ahead of the Polish-American Emanuel Ax and Frenchman Cyprien Katsaris, highly celebrated pianists in their own right. The following year, he took First Prize at the 1973 Concours International of Orense, in Spain.
Several of Alfidi's performances from the 1972 Queen Elisabeth Competition have been issued on LP, including his live Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto
from the final round with the Belgian National Orchestra (on the Deutsche Grammophon label), and various solo and duo pieces including works of Samuel Barber ; Frédéric Chopin (Ballade No 1, Barcarolle
, Scherzo Nos 2
& 4
); Beethoven (Moonlight
, Pathétique
, Appassionata
Sonatas); Rachmaninov's Piano Suites Nos 1 & 2, Symphonic Dances Op 45
, The Isle of the Dead Op 29
(arrangement for two pianos), as well as Gershwin's Concerto for piano and orchestra in F (with the Flanders Philharmonic conducted by Theodor Bloomfield).
He has also made a number of studio recordings for EMI Belgium including the Leduc Piano Concerto, Brahms Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor
and another album with Schumann Kinderszenen
, Alfidi 2 Etudes, Franck Prelude Chorale and Fugue
, and pieces by Rachmaninov.
Arthur Rubinstein
, one of the 20th century's greatest pianists, heard Alfidi's LP recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto and was very impressed by it. In 1979, the French film maker François Reichenbach
produced for Televisa-Mexico a series of documentaries, including one entitled Arthur Rubinstein and the Young - Joe Alfidi & Arthur Rubinstein in which Alfidi is invited to Rubinstein's Paris apartment, and is shown performing excerpts from Liszt Sonata in B minor
, Chopin Scherzo No 2, Rachmaninov 3rd Piano Concerto and Alfidi's own original composition. Rubinstein expresses his admiration for Alfidi whom he describes as a "great musician" and predicts that he would become "one of the finest pianists of our time".
Around the same period, Rubinstein persuaded the conductor Emmanuel Krivine
to engage Alfidi as soloist with Radio France's Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique.
In 1982, Alfidi appeared on European television, performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 4
with the RTBF Nouvel Orchestra (of Belgium) under Meir Minsky. A concert featuring Alfidi as soloist with the Lorraine Philharmonic Orchestra was televised on French television FR3 in November 1983.
Joseph Alfidi presently resides in Belgium where he teaches piano at the Royal Conservatory of Liège and continues to perform in public.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and a former child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
who was born in Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. The son of American-born parents of Italian descent, his father, Frank Alfidi, was a trumpet player who ran a music school in Yonkers. Known as "Joey" in his childhood, he was three when he started to play several instruments in his father's studio. By the age of four, he frequently improvised little compositions at the piano, and soon became fascinated by symphonic music as well.
Biography
At the age of 6, he had professional engagements to conduct the Miami Symphony Orchestra in Florida and members of the New York PhilharmonicNew York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
on Long Island.
On November 18, 1956, the 7 year old appeared in Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, conducting the Symphony of the Air. The ambitious program included 2 overtures - those to Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
and Rossini
Gioacchino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces...
's William Tell
William Tell (opera)
Guillaume Tell is an opera in four acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis, based on Friedrich Schiller's play Wilhelm Tell. Based on the legend of William Tell, this opera was Rossini's last, even though the composer lived for nearly forty more years...
- Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony
Symphony No. 94 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 94 in G major is the second of the twelve so-called London symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It is usually called by its nickname, the Surprise Symphony, although in German it is more often referred to as the Symphony "mit dem Paukenschlag" .-Date of composition:Haydn wrote...
, and Beethoven's 5th.
At the age of 8, on November 17, 1957, he starred in the American TV game-show What's My Line?.
Further appearances in New York with the Symphony of the Air followed in 1957, 1958, and 1960, and Joey conducted in many other American cities and toured Europe. He attended rehearsals and concerts led by Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born, naturalised American orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski...
, Guido Cantelli
Guido Cantelli
Guido Cantelli was an Italian orchestral conductor.-Biography:Born in Novara, Italy, Cantelli was named Musical Director of La Scala, Milan on 16 November 1956 but his promising career was cut short only one week later by his death at the age of 36 in an aircraft crash in Paris, France.Cantelli...
, Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
, Sir Thomas Beecham
Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...
, and Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
.
He was invited to the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
where he performed for Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, who said the boy might turn out to be "another Mozart".
Joey continued to perform as a piano virtuoso and to write symphonic compositions, chamber music, and piano works as he mastered conducting
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. In late November 1960, the 11 year old appeared with the Antwerp Philharmonic and was hailed as "the greatest child prodigy since Mozart". On December 1, 1960, he gave a royal command performance at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels before the Dowager Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, appearing in his multiple roles as pianist, conductor, and composer.
The live recording of this concert was released as a 2-LP set called "Command Performance" that contains his own Piano Concerto No 2, Beethoven Symphony No 8
Symphony No. 8 (Beethoven)
Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93 is a symphony in four movements composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1812. Beethoven fondly referred to it as "my little Symphony in F," distinguishing it from his Sixth Symphony, a longer work also in F....
conducted by Alfidi, Beethoven 3rd Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 3 (Beethoven)
The Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1800 and was first performed on 5 April 1803, with the composer as soloist. During that same performance, the Second Symphony and the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives were also debuted. The composition...
, Chopin Etude Op. 25 No 12
Étude Op. 25, No. 12 (Chopin)
Étude Op. 25, No. 12 in C minor is the last of Frédéric Chopin's formal studies for the Piano, opus 25, dedicated À Madame la Comtesse d'Agoult. It was first published in 1837 in French, German, and English. In the first French edition, the time signature is 4/4, but most modern editions follow the...
, and Rachmaninoff Prelude in C-sharp Minor.
He accepted an invitation from Queen Elisabeth to study at the Brussels Conservatory, where his teachers included Eduardo del Pueyo and Jean Absil. In 1965, he received his Diplôme Supérieur for the piano and joined the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth for a three year term of study.
In 1972, Alfidi entered the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels and won 3rd prize in a tightly contested field, placing ahead of the Polish-American Emanuel Ax and Frenchman Cyprien Katsaris, highly celebrated pianists in their own right. The following year, he took First Prize at the 1973 Concours International of Orense, in Spain.
Several of Alfidi's performances from the 1972 Queen Elisabeth Competition have been issued on LP, including his live Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rachmaninoff)
The Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, composed in 1909 by Sergei Rachmaninoff is famous for its technical and musical demands on the performer...
from the final round with the Belgian National Orchestra (on the Deutsche Grammophon label), and various solo and duo pieces including works of Samuel Barber ; Frédéric Chopin (Ballade No 1, Barcarolle
Barcarolle (Chopin)
The Barcarole in F sharp major, Op. 60 is a piece for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin, composed from the autumn of 1845 to the summer of 1846. Written in the barcarole form, it features a sweepingly romantic and slightly wistful tone...
, Scherzo Nos 2
Scherzo No. 2 (Chopin)
The Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31 is a scherzo by Frédéric Chopin. The work was composed and published in 1837, and was dedicated to Countess Adèle Fürstenstein...
& 4
Scherzo No. 4 (Chopin)
Frédéric Chopin composed his Scherzo No. 4 in E major, Op. 54, the fourth and the last of his scherzos, in 1842.The scherzo was published in 1843. Unlike the preceding three scherzi , the E-major is generally calmer in temperament...
); Beethoven (Moonlight
Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata , was completed in 1801...
, Pathétique
Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as Sonata Pathétique, was written in 1798 when the composer was 27 years old, and was published in 1799. Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky...
, Appassionata
Piano Sonata No. 23 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 is a piano sonata. It is considered one of the three great piano sonatas of his middle period . It was composed during 1804 and 1805, and perhaps 1806, and was dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick...
Sonatas); Rachmaninov's Piano Suites Nos 1 & 2, Symphonic Dances Op 45
Symphonic Dances (Rachmaninoff)
The Symphonic Dances, Op. 45, is an orchestral suite in three movements. Completed in 1940, it is Sergei Rachmaninoff's last composition. The work summarizes Rachmaninoff's compositional output....
, The Isle of the Dead Op 29
Isle of the Dead (Rachmaninoff)
Isle of the Dead, Op. 29, is a symphonic poem composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff was inspired by Arnold Böcklin's painting, Isle of the Dead, which he saw in Paris in 1907. He concluded the composition while staying in Dresden in 1908...
(arrangement for two pianos), as well as Gershwin's Concerto for piano and orchestra in F (with the Flanders Philharmonic conducted by Theodor Bloomfield).
He has also made a number of studio recordings for EMI Belgium including the Leduc Piano Concerto, Brahms Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor
Piano Sonata No. 3 (Brahms)
The Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 of Johannes Brahms was written in 1853 and published the following year. The sonata is unusually large, consisting of five movements, as opposed to the traditional four. When he wrote this piano sonata, the genre was seen by many to be past its heyday....
and another album with Schumann Kinderszenen
Kinderszenen
Kinderszenen , Opus 15, by Robert Schumann, is a set of thirteen pieces of music for piano written in 1838. In this work, Schumann provides us with his adult reminiscences of childhood. Schumann had originally written 30 movements for this work, but chose 13 for the final version...
, Alfidi 2 Etudes, Franck Prelude Chorale and Fugue
Prelude, Chorale and Fugue (Franck)
Prelude, Chorale and Fugue for solo piano is a work written in 1884 by the Belgian composer César Franck.As the name implies, it comprises three movements: a prelude, a chorale and a fugue...
, and pieces by Rachmaninov.
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
, one of the 20th century's greatest pianists, heard Alfidi's LP recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto and was very impressed by it. In 1979, the French film maker François Reichenbach
François Reichenbach
François Reichenbach was a French film director, cinematographer producer and screenwriter. He directed 40 films between 1954 and 1993.-Selected filmography:* America As Seen by a Frenchman...
produced for Televisa-Mexico a series of documentaries, including one entitled Arthur Rubinstein and the Young - Joe Alfidi & Arthur Rubinstein in which Alfidi is invited to Rubinstein's Paris apartment, and is shown performing excerpts from Liszt Sonata in B minor
Piano Sonata (Liszt)
The Piano Sonata in B minor , S.178, is a musical composition for solo piano by Franz Liszt, published in 1854 with a dedication to Robert Schumann. It is often considered Liszt's greatest composition for solo piano. The piece has been often analyzed, particularly regarding issues of form.-...
, Chopin Scherzo No 2, Rachmaninov 3rd Piano Concerto and Alfidi's own original composition. Rubinstein expresses his admiration for Alfidi whom he describes as a "great musician" and predicts that he would become "one of the finest pianists of our time".
Around the same period, Rubinstein persuaded the conductor Emmanuel Krivine
Emmanuel Krivine
Emmanuel Krivine is a French conductor, the son of a Polish mother and a Russian father. He studied the violin as a youth and was a prize-winner at the Paris Conservatoire. He later studied at the Queen Elisabeth School in Brussels....
to engage Alfidi as soloist with Radio France's Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique.
In 1982, Alfidi appeared on European television, performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 4
Piano Concerto No. 4 (Rachmaninoff)
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40 is a music piece by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, completed in 1926. The work currently exists in three versions. Following its unsuccessful premiere he made cuts and other amendments before publishing it in 1928. With continued lack of success, he...
with the RTBF Nouvel Orchestra (of Belgium) under Meir Minsky. A concert featuring Alfidi as soloist with the Lorraine Philharmonic Orchestra was televised on French television FR3 in November 1983.
Joseph Alfidi presently resides in Belgium where he teaches piano at the Royal Conservatory of Liège and continues to perform in public.
Further reading
- (1956). "SYMPHONY OF AIR PLAYS; BOY LEADS; Joey Alfidi of Yonkers Makes Debut as Conductor at Age of 7 in Carnegie Hall". "New York Times". November 19.
- (1957). "ALFIDI, 8, CONDUCTS AT CARNEGIE HALL". "New York Times". November 25.
- Briggs, John (1958). "JOEY ALFIDI, AGE 9, LEADS ORCHESTRA; Conducts Symphony of Air at Carnegie Hall Benefit for Italian Charities". "New York Times". September 29.
- (1960). "JOEY ALFIDI HEARD IN A PIANO PROGRAM (Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor, Carnegie Hall)". "New York Times". May 14.
- (1960). "ALFIDI CONCERTO HEARD; 10-Year-Old Conducts New Piano Work in Antwerp". "New York Times". November 29.
- (1960). "JOEY ALFIDI HAILED IN BRUSSELS CONCERT". "New York Times". December 2.
- (1962). "JOEY ALFIDI PLAYS AT CARNEGIE HALL; Pianist, 13, Also Heard as Conductor and Composer". "New York Times". October 8.
- (1964). "Joey Alfidi Plays for Elisabeth". "New York Times". January 17.
- (1969). "Joey Is Now Joseph". "New York Times". September 28.
- Henahan, Donal (1969). "ALFIDI RETURNS IN PIANO RECITAL; Soloist Is Also Conductor in Philharmonic Hall Concert". "New York Times". October 6.