Ernst Von Dohnányi

<p> . . . a rare kind of biography and autobiography: a clear and elegant exposition of fact as well as a humane portrait of a great piano virtuoso composer teacher and democratic soul as told to and seen through the eyes of one close to him. --Mark Mitchell<br /><br />Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) was one of the most highly respected musicians of his time. The young Dohnányi enjoyed an international prestige that brought him into contact with such 19th-century masters as Johannes Brahms and Eugène d'Albert. He is remembered for his technique and interpretive skills as a pianist and conductor as well as for the masterpieces he composed for piano chamber ensembles and orchestra. As a teacher and administrator Dohnányi was responsible for the training of an entire generation of musicians in Hungary and for helping to shape the country's musical culture. After World War II his career foundered when he was falsely accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. In 1953 at the age of 76 Dohnányi returned to international prominence with a triumphant re-debut at Carnegie Hall. Ernst von Dohnányi: A Song of Life written from a firsthand perspective by Dohnányi's widow is the first full English-language biography of the artist.</p>