Alicia de Larrocha – a famous Spanish pianist who delighted music lovers for decades with refined and enchanting versions of immense conventional works, has passed away at the age of 86. Alicia de Larrocha, used to play with the piano with her small hands and with the prosperity and strength of her sound, she won the hearts of millions.
De Larrocha from Barcelona started playing piano when she was 3 years old, and after two years she gave her first public performance in the International Exposition held in Barcelona. Four years later an enthusiastic music industry had pushed and introduced her first disc record. She was invited to play piano at Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica when she was only 6 years old, and by age of 11 she was known as vocalist with Madrid Symphony Orchestra.
At the age of 20, she was playing for heavy crowed around Spain, exhibiting a style and approach of her own and skill that overstepped her age. She began to make an intuition on the European track, and was shortly playing all the main musical centers.
De Larrocha’s technique combined with the poetic understanding, fluidity and delicacy with technical virtuosity, talent and outstanding focus. All this enabled her to create a beautifully covered sound proficient of impressive, unpredictable flourishes and additions. She was awarded countless prizes, over the years, includingCommander of the Order of Arts, the Prince of Asturias Prize in 1994 and the Paderewski Memorial Medal. She was also awarded voluntary doctorates by the Middlebury College-Vermont, universities of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon.
Gregor Benko, a famous music producer, piano music expert and family friend, announced her death by saying that she had been in bad physical condition for two years, since after breaking her hip. She died late Friday in the Barcelona hospital. Family and friends and music industry is grieving for this big loss.
Alicia De Larrocha
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