# Death of Peter Katin



## geoffrey terry

*Good bye Peter*. It is with great sorrow that I have to inform you of the passing of the great English pianist Peter Katin. He died in Hospital at Hasting 19th March 2015. He was in his 85th year.
We could perhaps consider the following excerpt of his performance of the Prokofiev piano concerto number 3 as a tribute to his wonderful talent, cut and paste the link to hear a sample:

http://www.occds.org/cd/cd002.html

A brief biography of Peter.

Peter Katin was born in London in 1930
His musical talent was evident at the age of four, and he was admitted to the senior department of the Royal Academy of Music when he was just twelve, four years before the official age of entry. 
The success of his Wigmore Hall début in 1948 started him on a career that has taken him throughout the world (he was the first British artist to give a post-war solo tour of the then USSR), and in those earlier years he was greatly influenced by his meetings with Clifford Curzon, Claudio Arrau and Myra Hess, who gave him much advice, for which he has always been deeply grateful. 
His early successes seemed centred around the classical composers. He was in great demand for Mozart concerto performances, in particular, and also developed a rare talent for chamber music. However, a performance of Rachmaninov's D minor Concerto in 1953 changed his image almost overnight, and hailed him as a virtuoso of the first order. He was constantly in demand for the most taxing of romantic concertos until the late sixties, when he decided that he needed to make a more in-depth study of the composers who had almost escaped him while he was immersed in the big major works. 
The first composer in this specialised study was Chopin, and since that time he has become regarded as one of the finest interpreters of that composer's music. He was sufficiently encouraged to make similar studies of Schubert, Schumann, Debussy and Liszt, and as a result has given a number of one-composer recitals. His repertoire now is very flexible and he is happy performing concertos by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms in one week, while keeping a very wide variety of styles in his recital programs. His constant encouragement of the preservation of individuality in young artists has been one factor in the conferral of an Honorary Doctorate by De Montfort University in 1994, and as a teacher, he has had highly successful years at the Royal Academy of Music, The University of Western Ontario, the Royal College of Music and Thames Valley University. 
Recordings include the complete Chopin Nocturnes and Impromptus, Grieg Lyric Pieces, Chopin Waltzes and Polonaises and the Rachmaninov Preludes. A live performance of a recital, including the Liszt Sonata, was released to a rave review in 'Classic CD' Magazine. 
Also three issues over the past 6 years have included first time publications of live recordings by Orchestral Concert CDs. If you to visit the website www.occds.org you can listen to samples of the recordings which have all received the highest praise from international critics.
OCCDs CD2/2009 includes the 3rd piano concerto of Prokofiev.
OCCDs CD3/2009, a live concert recital with the great Alfredo Campoli
CD11/2010 A Chopin Recital from the QEH Commemorating The Chopin 200th anniversary and Peter's 80th

I knew Peter for more than 50 years and we were in quite regular contact, I shall miss him,
Geoffrey


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## Headphone Hermit

I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend, Geoffrey

There is a detailed obituary available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11488381/Peter-Katin-pianist-obituary.html


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## ptr

It is always saddening to read about musicians passing, but there's some consolation in knowing that Mr Katin led a long and fruitful life at the black and whites!

/ptr


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## elgar's ghost

I'm sorry to learn about Peter Katin's death. I read with interest about his distinguished career and I treasure his Olympia recordings of Chopin's Nocturnes & Impromptus and Tchaikovsky's The Seasons & Piano Sonata (both for which he provided the informative sleevenotes).


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## David Heft

Dear Geoffrey,

I too was extremely saddened by the passing of Peter. Unfortunately, as a result of serious injury in 1976, I have more or less withdrawn from the music world and was not therefore aware Peter had died.

You state you knew Peter for more than 50 years and I wonder if you and I ever met? In London, perhaps? I was with Peter in Holland Park and latterly in his home at Coulsdon in 1965. Is Eva still living and what of Nicholas and Andrew?

I hope to hear from you and in the meantime, I send you my very best wishes.

David Heft.


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## Headphone Hermit

^^^ unfortunately, it looks as if Geoffrey hasn't been on the site since July 2015

I hope, though, that your message reaches him and you get a reply

regards

HH


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## Vaneyes

Failing a look-see here, he may be reachable at

[email protected]


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## David Heft

Dear Mr. Terry,
I read the sad news about Peter some weeks ago and did try to contact you but without success. I am new to Classical Music Forums, so perhaps misunderstood the procedure in sending messages. If you receive this, I would very much like to hear from you so that we might share a little of the memory of Peter. It is quite possible you and I have met during the period I was with Peter in London in the 60's. Do you by any chance know where Eva is now and Nicholas and Andrew?
I hope to have the pleasure of hearing from you when convenient. My contact details are as follows:-
David Heft, landline: 01234 742 262 and Mobile: 07976 584 007.
Kind regards,
David.


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## David Heft

Sorry, forgot to leave you my email:-
[email protected]


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