Terence Judd (Piano)

Born: October 3, 1957 - London, England
Died: December 23, 1979 - Beachy Head, England

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 1^st 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 4^th 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.

Source: Wikipedia Website (October 2010); Bits & pieces from other sources
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (February 2011)

Terence Judd: Short Biography | Recordings of Instrumental Works

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Terence Judd (Wikipedia)