Artist List of Authors
Fou Ts'ong
Fou Ts'ong
Artist  (March 10, 1934 AD～December 28, 2020 AD)
Birth Place： 中国上海

傅聪

Fou Ts'ong or Fu Cong (Chinese: 傅聰; pinyin: Fù Cōng; 10 March 1934 – 28 December 2020) was a Chinese pianist. One of the first Chinese pianists to achieve international fame, Fou was especially acclaimed for his interpretations of the music of Frédéric Chopin. He has been noted by The New York Times for his "sensitive ear for color", "elusive gift of melody", and his "impetuous spirit".

Life and career

Mario Paci (second row center) with his colleagues and students in Shanghai, 1945. In the front row are two of his youngest students: Fou Ts'ong (front left) and Wu Yili (front right).

Fou Ts'ong was born in Shanghai on 10 March 1934 to a family of intellectuals; his father was the translator Fu Lei. Fou first studied piano with Mario Paci, the Italian founder of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. In 1953, Fou moved to Europe to continue his training at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw (at present Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw) with Zbigniew Drzewiecki, where he impressed his professors with his grasp of the mazurka rhythm. His mastery was confirmed when he won 3rd prize and the special Mazurka Prize at the 1955 International Chopin Piano Competition.

In 1958, Fou moved to London. He made his debut with the New York Philharmonic under Paul Paray in Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Op. 21) in November 1961. A performing and teaching career that took him throughout the world continued, and he was especially acclaimed for his interpretations of Chopin. Hermann Hesse proclaimed him to be the only true performer of the composer's work. Among Fou's friends are the fellow pianists Martha Argerich, Leon Fleisher and Radu Lupu, who, acknowledging his influence upon their musical development, were "obliged to Fou Ts'ong for all his new ideas and for opening new musical horizons for all of us."

He was a member of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition's jury in 1991, 1999 and 2007.

From 1960 to 1969, he was married to Zamira Menuhin, the daughter of Yehudi Menuhin, and they had one son. Their marriage ended in divorce. He later married the Chinese pianist Patsy Toh. He lived in London.

Fou's parents Fu Lei and Zhu Meifu were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution and committed suicide in September 1966. Fou Ts'ong had a brother named Fu Min.

Fou died of COVID-19 in London on 28 December 2020 at age 86.

References

  1. ^ Holland, Bernard (1987-04-02). "PIANO: FU TS'ONG (Published 1987)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  2. ^ Jump up to:a b Oestreich, James R. (1993-02-03). "Classical Music in Review (Published 1993)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  3. ^ Schonberg, Harold C. (1961-11-18). "Music: Chinese Pianist; Fou Ts'Ong Appears With Philharmonic (Published 1961)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  4. ^ Fou Ts'ong. The Peerage. Retrieved on 2015-07-04.
  5. ^ 傅雷夫婦“葉落歸根”骨灰落葬浦東 傅敏致辭 Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine. Sh.eastday.com (2013-10-28). Retrieved on 2015-07-04.
  6. ^ 中時新聞網. "東方鋼琴詩人傅聰 在英國染疫辭世 - 生活". 中時新聞網 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  7. ^ 界面新闻 (2020-12-29). "钢琴家傅聪因新冠肺炎在英国去世，享年86岁". finance.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  8. ^ Codalario. "Muere por coronavirus el gran pianista chino Fou Ts'ong". www.codalario.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-12-28.

    

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