Russell Sherman
Russell Sherman (March 24, 1930 – September 30, 2023) was an American classical pianist, educator and author. He performed internationally, known especially for playing the music of Beethoven and Liszt. Driven by a "lifelong battle to reconstitute Liszt as a serious composer", he wrote for a recording of his Transcendental Études: "The poetic idea is central, and the virtuoso elements become so many layers to orchestrate the poetic content".
Russell Sherman
March 24, 1930
September 30, 2023 (aged 93)
- Classical pianist
- Academic teacher
- Author
Sherman was a teacher at the New England Conservatory in Boston for more than half a century, influencing generations of students.[1]
Recordings[edit]
Schuller, who had invited Sherman to teach in Boston, also made Sherman record for GM records, which Schuller founded. Sherman became the first American pianist to record all Beethoven's piano sonatas and piano concertos.[2] He recorded an album entitled Russell Sherman: Premieres and Commissions,
music composed for him in the 1990s, by Schuller, Robert Helps, George Perle, and Ralph Shapey. He also recorded Bach's English Suites, all Mozart's piano sonatas, Chopin's mazurkas, and music by Claude Debussy and Arnold Schoenberg.[2]
He recorded many works by Franz Liszt, driven by a "lifelong battle to reconstitute Liszt as a serious composer". He recorded the Transcendental Études in 1974, and again in 1990, explaining in the liner notes: "The poetic idea is central, and the virtuoso elements become so many layers to orchestrate the poetic content".[2]