ERNO BALOGH Hungarian-American Pianist autographed photograph 1947

Description

Autographed 8” x 10” sepia photograph at the keyboard, March 5, 1947.  The photograph is inscribed to the Cuban concert pianist Laura Rayneri Piedra Alonso.
Balogh (1897-1989) studied at the Liszt Conservatory in Budapest; piano with Bela Bartok and composition with Zoltan Kodaly from 1905-1917.  Balogh was awarded the Liszt prize in both pianoforte and composition in 1917.  He then went to Berlin and studied with pianist Leonid Kreutzer at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik.  In 1924 he arrived in the United States and lived in New York City, using his contacts in Hungary to help establish himself.  He made his Carnegie Hall debut on March 14, 1924 accompanying mezzo-soprano Elena Gerhardt and violinist Erna Rubinstein.  He would also accompany soprano Frieda Hempel there in 1926, Lotte Lehmann in 1932, 1937 and 1938 (He became her regular accompanist and recording partner), in 1946 he played the Liszt 2nd Concerto with the Carnegie Pops and in 1953 was one of the ten pianists selected by Steinway to perform the group version of the “Stars and Stripes Forever” at their Centennial Gala.  He would perform eclectic solo recitals at Town Hall mixing Bach and Mozart, with Chopin, Bartok and Liszt in a concert in  1938.  At the same venue, earlier the same year, he mixed Bach, Chopin, Falla, Ravel and Pittaluga in another. A complete departure in a 1943 Town Hall recital included music by Morton Gould, Burrill Phillips, his own, Lorenzo Fernandez, Francisco Mignone, followed by Bach transcriptions by Busoni and Brahms. In 1946 at Town Hall he blended the 15 Bach 2 part inventions with Burrill Phillips and Carmago Guarnieri.
In addition to his own recital and concert tours, as well as his work with Lehmann, he also accompanied Grace Moore and Fritz Kreisler.  Eventually he settled down and taught at the Peabody Conservatory.  His play “.00 per Hour” was staged at the Theatre Masque on Broadway in May, 1933.
Laura Rayneri Piedra Alonso, (1885-1950) the mother of ballet dancer and choreographer Fernando Alonso and mother in law of the late ballerina Alicia Alonso.  She taught from a conservatory named after her in Cuba.
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