Menahem Pressler - In Memoriam: Menahem Pressler (2023)

The name Menahem Pressler was, to many, almost synonymous with the Beaux Arts Trio, the group he founded in 1955, the same year the busy pianist joined the faculty at Indiana University. Incredibly, he remained active in both roles for 50-plus years. The Beaux Arts Trio was often cited as one of the world's finest piano trios, and most of the credit for its success must go to Pressler, who was, not surprisingly, the only enduring member down through the years. The group, in residence at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., concertized widely throughout the world, typically giving around 100 concerts a year. But, of course, Pressler also made a name for himself as a soloist and recitalist, as well as a freelance pianist working with many other artists and groups, such as the Juilliard, Emerson, and Guarneri string quartets. He made more than 60 recordings with the Trio and over 30 as a soloist, most appearing on such major labels as Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, and other labels. Several composers, including György Kurtág, wrote works expressly for Pressler.

Pressler was born in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 16, 1923. A talented pianist in his teens, he was forced to flee Germany in 1938. His family settled in Israel, where Pressler received most of his advanced musical education.

In 1946 Pressler won the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco. Shortly afterward he appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy. Though his career as a piano soloist and recitalist was successful, Pressler became increasingly involved in chamber music and founded the Trio in 1955. The other original members were violinist Daniel Guilet and cellist Bernard Greenhouse. Their debut was at the 1955 Berkshire Music Festival.

Guilet was replaced in 1969 by Isidore Cohen, and Greenhouse in 1987 by Peter Wiley. Several other changes came shortly afterward, with Ida Kavafian and Young Uck Kim holding relatively brief tenures. The Trio -- comprised of Pressler, violinist Daniel Hope, and cellist Antonio Meneses at the time -- took its last bows in 2008. Pressler continued to perform and record with other musicians and as a soloist for another 10 years. Along with teaching since 1955 at Indiana University (Jacobs School of Music), Pressler regularly served as a jury member at the Queen Elisabeth, Van Cliburn, and other competitions, and in 2019, the famed Tchaikovsky Competition. His later recordings include Mozart piano concertos with the Magdeburgische Philharmonie from 2016 and a disc of Debussy solo piano pieces released in 2018. Pressler was 99 years old when he died on May 6, 2023. © Robert Cummings