Vladimir de Pachmann

Vladimir von Pachmann or Pachman (27 July 1848 Odessa, Ukraine - 6 January 1933 Rome, Italy) was a pianist of Russian-German ethnicity, especially noted for performing the works of Chopin, and also for his eccentric on-stage style.

He studied music at the Vienna Conservatory, studying piano with Joseph Dachs (a pupil of Karl Tausig) and theory with Anton Bruckner. He made his concert debut in Odessa in 1869, but until 1882 he only appeared in public infrequently, spending his time in further study. He then toured throughout Europe and the United States, and was acclaimed as a top player of his era.

Pachmann was one of the earliest to make recordings of his work, beginning in 1906 with recordings for the Welte-Mignon reproducing piano and in 1907 for the gramophone.

He was also famous for gestures, muttering, and addressing the audience during his performance; the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica judiciously characterized it as the "playfulness of his platform manner", while critic James Huneker called him the "Chopinzee", and George Bernard Shaw reported that he "gave his well-known pantomimic performance, with accompaniments by Chopin."

References

• Mark Mitchell, Vladimir de Pachmann: A Piano Virtuoso's Life and Art (Indiana University Press, 2002) ISBN 0-253-34169-8. This book has been withdrawn by Indiana University Press and the remaining copies destroyed because it "does not sufficiently acknowledge the intellectual debt it owes to Mr. [Edward] Blickstein's prior labors" [1].

External links

• Extensive collection of links to online material relating to Pachmann
• Allan Evans Three essays on Pachmann (1996, 1997)
• Recordings of Pachmann on Youtube
• Arthur Symons ed Ates Orga Pachmann and the Piano (1903, 2000)