Important source of inspiration

Hubert Harry (1927-2010) was one of the most influential piano teachers in Switzerland for many decades. Arriving in Lucerne from his native England in 1946, he soon taught at the conservatory there; his work as a teacher is legendary; countless pianists received important impulses from him. What is less well known is that Hubert Harry, a 1950 prizewinner at the Conservatoire de Genève, was regarded as a pianistic prodigy in his early years and was generally considered to be at the beginning of a brilliant international career as a soloist.

The present volume is particularly welcome because the authors Rudolf Bossard, Roger Taylor and editor Heidi Harry shed light on these and other backgrounds that may not have been known to a wider public, or only to a limited extent: the early (student) years in Manchester, the influence of his teacher Hilda Collens and the piano school of Tobias Matthay, later also Clifford Curzon, and then in Switzerland his encounters with Edwin Fischer, Dinu Lipatti and Paul Baumgartner. An annotated chronicle of Hubert Harry's concerts, together with many contemporary reviews, paints a picture of a world-class performer who, despite his intensive teaching activities, continued to place the highest demands on his own concertizing and, perhaps for this reason too, reduced his concert activities over time. There are also contributions on Harry's compositions, his special relationship with Steinway instruments, his family environment and his discography as well as personal memories.

The numerous memories of former students give an idea of Hubert Harry's teaching, whereby it becomes clear that Harry treated everyone with great respect for their individuality and aimed not so much at achieving concert maturity as at developing their own talents.

The accompanying audio CD contains mostly unpublished recordings that illustrate various phases of Harry's career. Particularly impressive are excerpts from a recital recorded by the BBC in 1945. They demonstrate how accomplished the eighteen-year-old already knew how to perform (Liszt's Mephisto Waltz).

Finally, special mention should be made of the exceptionally careful and coherent graphic design of the book (Allan Lawrence Harry), which makes reading it all the more enjoyable.

Hubert Harry, Pianist. Fragmente eines Lebens, edited by Heidi Harry, 248 p., with numerous illustrations and audio CD, Fr. 79.00, Pro Libro, Lucerne 2013, ISBN 978-3-905927-31-3