Agosti, Guido. (1901–1989) [Cortot, Alfred. (1877–1962)]
Autograph Signature on Photograph of a Cortot Masterclass
Original photograph of Alfred Cortot teaching a masterclass in Siena in 1958, signed and inscribed at the upper left by pianist Guido Agosti to Raymond Lewenthal. Agosti and Lewenthal are both shown in the photograph, sitting next to each other at the right of the piano while Cortot stands at the left and a group of students listens behind. Agosti has penned: "With admiration, to Raymond Lewenthal. Guido Agosti. Siena, August 1958." Photograph slightly curled, but otherwise fine. 9.25 x 7 inches (23.9 x 18 cm).Italian pianist and piano teacher Guido Agosti studied with Ferruccio Busoni, Bruno Mugellini and Filippo Ivaldi, earning his diploma at age 13. He taught piano at the Venice Conservatoire and at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome. In 1947 he was appointed Professor of piano at the Accademia Chigiana (Siena). He also taught at Weimar and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Raymond Lewenthal (1923–1988) was an American pianist. Lewenthal made his debut in 1948 with Dimitri Mitropoulos and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The occasion marked the first time a soloist had been invited to play Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 under Mitropoulos's direction—that being a work which the conductor was famous for playing himself. The success of this performance was followed a few weeks later by Lewenthal's New York recital debut. These events launched his North American career, which flourished until it came to a sudden halt in 1953; while walking through New York's Central Park, Lewenthal was attacked by a gang of hoodlums and suffered broken bones in his hands and arms. Although he did recover and return to performing, with a particular focus on the works of lesser-known Romantic composers, his career never quite lived up to the promise of his debut. (17315)
Signed Photograph Classical Music