Rudolf Serkin

Rudolf Serkin emerged from the environment of post-World War I Austria to become one of the most profound and challenging pianists of the century, leaving a lasting impression on following generations. Childhood studies in Vienna with Richard Robert for piano, and Joseph Marx and Arnold Schoenberg for composition, led to a 1915 debut performance with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12. After 1920, Serkin was associated with noted violinist Adolf Busch, both as a duo-sonata partner, and with the Busch Chamber Orchestra (and, from 1935, as Busch's son-in-law). An A...