The obsession of music perfection – John Ogdon, life and fascinations of the piano virtuoso
Journal Title: Notes Muzyczny - Year 2014, Vol 2, Issue 2
Abstract
The article describes the British pianist and composer admired for his brilliant playing. His extraordinary music talent revealed itself very early. At the age of 5 Ogdon played the piano better than many grown up people. As a young boy he started writing simple compositions which were surprisingly mature considering his age. John Ogdon reached the peak of his fame in 1962 when he won the P. Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. Then his life became a “tour of hotels”. He played many recitals and performed with orchestras in most famous concert halls. He travelled all around the world. The artistry of John Ogdon was not just his perfect piano playing and great charisma on stage but also his sensitivity and modesty. As a private person he was introverted, very shy and self-contained, often lost in thought and living in a world of his own. His experiences, stress and a hypersensitive personality led him to extreme ways of behaviour – from euphoria to depression. The moments of happiness he felt while creating turned into a state of isolation. That was followed by psychological disorders and sudden attacks of aggression. This auto-destructive behaviour lasted for years and ravaged him physically and mentally. When he was 37, as a result of his mental disorder, his career as a pianist and composer was suddenly weakened. Despite numerous failures in his years of illness and after a long searching for a successful treatment he returned on stage and achieved further successes. First of all he was remembered as “the piano giant”, both due to his physique and unlimited technical skills, virtuosity, musicality of the highest level and his broad knowledge about music. The main principle of the work is presenting the life and artistic activity of John Ogdon which – despite numerous adversities – was impressive. Ogdon devoted his entire life to music. In the 1960s he was considered not only the greatest British pianist but also a music genius of extraordinary capacities.<br/><br/>
Authors and Affiliations
Marzena Kowalska
Keywords
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