A Walk on the Wild Side
A Memoir by Virtuoso Pianist Earl Wild
Accolades for Earl Wild
“Earl Wild is without peer.”
—THE BOSTON GLOBE
“Earl Wild is surely one of our national treasures.”
—STEREO REVIEW
“Earl Wild is a latter-day resurrection of Lhevinne, Rosenthal and Rachmaninoff rolled into one.”
—MUSICAL OPINION
“The white-maned lion of the keyboard.”
—THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
“Cheers rang to the rafters as Earl Wild concluded what was surely one of the most stunning piano recitals in the entire history of the Wigmore Hall.”
—LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH
“The piano simply cannot be played more beautifully or expressively."
—ELLIOT RAVETZ, TIME MAGAZINE
“It is not only super virtuosity but also sheer pianistic elegance. One of today’s phenomenal techniques—aristocratic playing—Romanticism came alive.”
—HAROLD C. SCHONBERG, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Earl Wild is one of the greatest pianists of our age at the height of his technical and interpretive genius.”
—THE LONDON TIMES
“The Atlas of the piano.”
—THE NEW YORK TIMES
“An echo of Rachmaninoff’s tone and style could be discerned in Mr. Wild’s playing, giving it distinction.”
—THE WASHINGTON POST
“Earl Wild’s technique must be the envy of pianists everywhere.”
—THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“Earl Wild really is a marvel.”
—GRAMAPHONE
“A glittering, powerful technique, second to none.”
—LOS ANGELES TIMES
About the Author
Pianist Earl Wild died on January 23, 2010, at the age of 94. Since then he has been widely lamented as the last of the Romantic virtuosos. He devoted his entire life to his art—music was his love from the age of four. He received extraordinary accolades over the years, being called “a super virtuoso” and “one of the 20th century’s greatest pianists.”
Mr. Wild was an artist with the rare gift of being able to communicate serious ideas in an easy and elegant way that never took away from his own intellectualism. His ability to bring the tradition of the art of the transcription to a mid-20th and 21st century audience in a way that was uniquely his own garnered him the reputation as “the finest transcriber of our time.”
As a great musician as well as a special individual who held true to his own integrity throughout his life, Mr. Wild made many extraordinary contributions to the American musical scene.
Whether it was in concert or at a master class, Earl Wild held both his audiences and students spellbound with his abilities, his knowledge, his imagination, his musical intelligence, sensitivity and artistry, along with his tremendous sense of humor.
Copies of this book as well as Earl Wild’s original compositions, piano transcriptions, and most of his CDs and DVDs are available through Michael Rolland Davis at www.EarlWild.com or www.IvoryClassics.com or by calling (760) 327-5826.
tel 604-568-4158