Virtuoso Pianist Ruth Slenczynska Dies at 101, Last Surviving Pupil of Sergei Rachmaninoff

Ruth Slenczynska, the last surviving pupil of Sergei Rachmaninoff, died at the age of 101. BBC News reported her death occurred peacefully at an assisted living facility in California after another fall. She had faltered in health following a series of falls but remained energetic and mentally clear during recent visits.

' During those visits, Slenczynska played the piano one day and assigned Moorman-Stahlman the Mozart Concerto in A Minor to learn for their next meeting. She passed away surrounded by friends, including Randy, the husband of Moorman-Stahlman. Born in 1925 in California to Polish parents, Slenczynska gave her first recital at the age of four.

At seven, she debuted with a full orchestra in Paris. A Pathé newsreel filmed when she was five noted that she had surprised musical critics by her playing of Beethoven. Her father, Josef Slenczynski, was a well-known violinist and head of the Warsaw Conservatory before being wounded during World War One.

The family moved to America after the war, and Josef deemed his daughter a potential pianist or violinist within hours of her birth. By age three, she was versed in basic musical theory and harmony, prompting the family to move to Europe for access to the best teachers. Slenczynska met Rachmaninoff in 1934 at age nine, after substituting for him in a concert he cancelled due to an elbow problem.

' Rachmaninoff then showed her a picture of his speed boat and made buzzing noises to imitate the motor, calming her before she played a showpiece and transposed the key instantly when requested. They became lifelong friends, with Rachmaninoff mentoring her for two years and giving her a Fabergé egg necklace she often wore.

In her early years, Slenczynska was also mentored by Josef Hoffman, Alfred Cortot, Egon Petri, and Artur Schnabel.

She studied alongside Samuel Barber and heard his Adagio for Strings in the classroom before it had its title. Josef Slenczynski enforced a punishing practice regime, making her practice nine hours a day, every single day of the week. ' At 15, she broke off contact with her father, rejected her concert career, enrolled for a psychology degree at the University of California, and eloped with fellow student George Born.

The couple divorced in 1953, after which Slenczynska began teaching piano to make ends meet. She returned to the stage after more than a decade's absence and toured with the Boston Pops orchestra for four years, enjoying an on-stage rivalry with conductor Arthur Fiedler. She told the St.

Louis Post-Dispatch in 1999 that 'At first, Mr Fiedler got standing ovations, and I didn't. By the third year, I started getting them, too. ' Slenczynska recorded 10 LPs for Decca, showcasing her sense of drama and rhythmic control, especially in works of Chopin.

In 1961, she wrote the textbook Music at Your Fingertips: Aspects of Pianoforte Technique, which remains in print. She joined Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville first as an artist-in-residence, then as a faculty member, and a couple of years later married Dr. James Kerr, a political science professor.

' Throughout her life, she stayed active: during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, she uploaded home recordings of Beethoven's Sonatas to YouTube to celebrate his 250th anniversary, and she marked her 97th birthday with a recital at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania.

In 2022, Slenczynska returned to Decca to record her final album, My Life In Music, which included performances of pieces by Rachmaninoff, Bach, and Debussy. The album featured a version of Chopin's Prelude in F Major, a tribute to her Polish roots and one of her personal favorites.

Moorman-Stahlman, who was present during the recording session, recalled that after several takes, Slenczynska said, 'This one is good. S. presidents, including a four-hand Mozart duet with Harry Truman at the White House.

She performed into her 90s, capping a nine-decade career noted for her impeccable technique and musical insight.