{{Short description|British pianist (1902–1988)}} {{EngvarB|date=September 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Solomon Cutner | honorific_suffix = CBE | image = Pianist Solomon in Japan 1953 Scan10014.jpg | alt = | caption = Solomon Cutner, 1953 | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1902|08|09}} | birth_place = East End of London, London, UK | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1988|02|02|1902|08|09}} | death_place = London, UK | other_names = | occupation = Pianist | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Solomon Cutner''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (9 August 1902 &ndash; 2 February 1988) was a British pianist known professionally as '''Solomon'''.<ref>Jean-Pierre Thiollet, ''88 notes pour piano solo'', Neva Editions, 2015, p. 52. {{ISBN|978-2-3505-5192-0}}</ref>

==Biography== Solomon Cutner was born in the East End of London in 1902, the seventh child of tailors of German-Jewish and Polish-Jewish extraction.<ref>[https://www.naxos.com/person/_Solomon/2142.htm/ Naxos Records]</ref> He was a child prodigy whose talent was recognized at the age of seven when, having had no formal tuition, he performed his own arrangement of the ''1812 Overture'' on the family piano. He gave his first concerts in 1912 at the age of ten, retired from public performance in his teens and then resumed his career as an adult performer.<ref name=grove>''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (2001)</ref> He began making records in 1929. As a child he was sent to live with his teacher, Mathilde Verne, who had studied with Clara Schumann. He then studied in Paris with Lazare-Lévy.

After establishing a reputation, he toured abroad a good deal, particularly before, during and shortly after World War II, when he gave numerous much-cherished recitals in the United States and Australia. He premiered the Piano Concerto in B-flat by Arthur Bliss at the 1939 New York World's Fair.<ref name=grove/> Renowned especially for his Beethoven, which had an almost legendary status (he broadcast the entire cycle of the 32 piano sonatas for the BBC), he was in the midst of recording the complete cycle of the sonatas for EMI Records when he suffered a devastating stroke in 1956,<ref>The ''New York Times'' obituary cited wrongly gives the date of the stroke as 1965.</ref> which paralysed his right arm. He never recorded or performed in public again, but lived on for another 32 years. His recordings of Mozart, Schumann and Brahms are also highly regarded; his Debussy, Bach and Schubert recordings are likewise esteemed.

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1946 Birthday Honours for services to the Forces.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37598|date=4 June 1946|supp=y|pages=2784}}</ref> He died in London in 1988, aged 85.

A biography, ''Solo: The Biography of Solomon'' by Bryan Crimp, was published by APR in 1994, {{ISBN|978-1-870295-04-8}}, and reissued in paperback by Travis and Emery in 2008, {{ISBN|978-1-904331-36-0}}.

Solomon's first recordings were made in 1929 for the English Columbia label. He later recorded for His Master's Voice. Most of his recordings have appeared on compact disc, either directly through EMI/Warner or under license to the Testament label.

Bruce Eder on AllMusic wrote that, before the onset of his stroke in 1956, Solomon recorded a handful of works in stereo, but whether in stereo or mono his recordings are all worth hearing; he said the clarity, tonal beauty and imaginativeness of Solomon's playing overcomes any shortcomings of the recording technique. He added that Solomon's rendition of Beethoven's ''Moonlight Sonata'' is notable for its poetic lyricism and natural, unforced passion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Solomon Biography by Bruce Eder |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/solomon-mn0001786746/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=20 October 2022}}</ref>

==Recordings== *''Solomon: The First Recordings, 1942–43.'' Frédéric Chopin, Etude for piano No. 9 in F minor, Op. 10/9, CT. 22, Etude for piano No. 14 in F minor, Op. 25/2, CT. 27, Etude for piano No. 15 in F major, Op. 25/3, CT 28., Nocturne for piano No. 8 in D flat major, Op. 27/2, CT. 115, Berceuse for piano in D flat major, Op. 57, CT. 7, Johannes Brahms Variations (25) and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, for piano, in B flat major, Op. 24, Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trio in B flat major ("Archduke"), Op. 97. Signature Series Records CD, 1994. *''Beethoven: Three Favorite Sonatas'' – Seraphim Records LP 60286 *''Beethoven'': Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major – Angel Records LP 35580 *''Beethoven'': Piano Sonatas Opp. 90, 101, 106, 109, 110 & 111 – EMI Classics CD, 1993. *''Beethoven'': Piano Concertos Nos. 2–5; Piano Sonata No. 14 – EMI Classics CD, 1995. *''Schumann, Brahms & Liszt.'' Schumann, Carnaval for piano, Op. 9. Brahms, Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5. Liszt, "La Leggierezza" in F minor (Grandes études de concert No. 2), S. 144/2 (LW A118/2), "Au bord d'une source" (II & III), for piano (Années I/4), S. 160/4 & S. 160/4bis (LW A159/4), Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A minor (Rákóczi-Marsch III), S. 244/15 (LW A132/15) – Testament Records, 1996. *''The Complete Recordings of Chopin:'' Testament Records CD, 1993. *''Solomon Plays Brahms'': Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15, Variations (25) and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, for piano, in B flat major, Op. 24. Testament Records, 1994. *Mozart: Piano concertos No. 23 in A major, KV488 and No. 24 in C minor, KV 491. His Master's Voice, ALP 1316

A full discography of Solomon's recordings can be found in the biography by Bryan Crimp: ''Solo: The Biography of Solomon'' (Appian Publications & Recordings, Hexham 1994), and also in one of the [http://www.arsc-audio.org/ ARSC's] journals – [http://www.arsc-audio.org/journals/v10/v10n2-3p188-209.pdf as here]. Some further recordings have come to light: * Ludwig van Beethoven ** Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 *** Recorded on 18 December 1952 with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Eduard van Beinum<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aprrecordings.co.uk/apr2/showentry.php?id=90|title=Appian Publications and Recordings|website=Aprrecordings.co.uk|accessdate=27 July 2020}}</ref> * Johannes Brahms ** Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 *** Recorded in 1956 with the RAI Turin Orchestra and Lorin Maazel<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guildmusic.com/shop/wbc.php?sid=843592a4514&tpl=produktdetail.html&pid=8351&recno=1|title=Solomon plays Brahms & Mozart - 1956 Details Guildmusic - Onlineshop f?r CDs und DVDs aus Klassik, Weltmusik, Jazz, Blues, Gospel|website=Guildmusic.com|accessdate=27 July 2020}}</ref> * Arthur Bliss ** Piano Concerto in B{{music|flat}} *** World premiere performance recorded in Carnegie Hall, New York, 10 June 1939 with the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra and Sir Adrian Boult<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aprrecordings.co.uk/apr2/showentry.php?id=83|title=Appian Publications and Recordings|website=Aprrecordings.co.uk|accessdate=27 July 2020}}</ref> * Robert Schumann ** ''Carnaval'', Op. 9 *** Recorded in Berlin, RIAS Funkhaus, Studio 7 on 24 February 1956<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.audite.de/en/product/2CD/23422-solomon_plays_beethoven_schumann_bach_chopin_brahms.html|title=Solomon plays Beethoven, Schumann, Bach, Chopin & Brahms - audite|first=Audite Musikproduktion, Ludger|last=Böckenhoff|website=Audite.de|accessdate=27 July 2020}}</ref>

==References== * Darryl Lyman: ''Great Jews in Music''. J. D. Publishers, Middle Village, N.Y, 1986. * Stanley Sadie, H. Wiley Hitchcock (Ed.): ''The New Grove Dictionary of American Music''. Grove's Dictionaries of Music, New York, N.Y. 1986. * Alain Pâris: ''Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interprétation musicale au XX siècle''. Éditions Robert Laffont, Paris 1989.

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://members.macconnect.com/users/j/jimbob/classical/solomon.html MacConnect article] * {{cite news |title=Solomon, British Pianist, 85, Dies |date=1 March 1988 |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2DA173DF932A35750C0A96E948260 |accessdate=9 August 2008 }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutner, Solomon}} Category:Jewish classical pianists Category:Child classical musicians Category:Honorary members of the Royal Philharmonic Society Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Whitechapel Category:1988 deaths Category:1902 births Category:Musicians from London Category:20th-century British classical pianists Category:20th-century English musicians Category:Jewish British musicians Category:20th-century male pianists