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{{Short description|American pianist, composer, and conductor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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|image =
|image =
|birth_date = {{birth date|1949|05|28}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1949|05|28}}
|birth_place = [[Yonkers, New York]]
|birth_place = [[Yonkers, New York]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|2015|2|2|1949|05|28}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|2015|2|2|1949|05|28}}
|occupation = Pianist, composer and conductor
|occupation = Pianist, composer, and conductor
|years_active =
|years_active =
}}
}}

'''Joseph Alfidi''' (May 28, 1949 – February 2, 2015) was an [[United States|America]]n [[pianist]], [[composer]], and [[Conducting|conductor]] and initially a [[child prodigy]]. He was born in [[Yonkers, New York]] as the son of American-born parents of Italian descent, his father, Frank Alfidi, was an accordion player who ran a music school in Yonkers. Known as "Joey" in his childhood, he was three when he started to play several instruments in his father's studio. By the age of four, he frequently improvised little compositions at the piano, and soon became fascinated by symphonic music as well.
'''Joseph Alfidi''' (May 28, 1949 – February 2, 2015) was an [[United States|America]]n [[pianist]], [[composer]], and [[Conducting|conductor]] and initially a [[child prodigy]]. He was born in [[Yonkers, New York]], as the son of American-born parents of Italian descent. His father, Frank Alfidi, was an accordion player who ran a music school in Yonkers. Known as "Joey" in his childhood, he was three when he started to play several instruments in his father's studio. By the age of four, he frequently improvised little compositions at the piano, and soon became fascinated by symphonic music as well.


==Biography==
==Biography==
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On November 18, 1956, the seven-year-old appeared in [[Carnegie Hall]], conducting the Symphony of the Air. The ambitious program included two overtures, [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'' and [[Gioacchino Rossini|Rossini]]'s [[William Tell (opera)|''William Tell'']], as well as [[Haydn]]'s [[Symphony No. 94 (Haydn)|"Surprise" Symphony]] and [[Beethoven's 5th Symphony]].<ref name="Claude Kenneson 2003, pg 280">Claude Kenneson, Musical Prodigies: Perilous Journeys, Remarkable Lives (hardback), Amadeus Press, 2003, pg 280. {{ISBN|1-57467-046-8}}</ref>
On November 18, 1956, the seven-year-old appeared in [[Carnegie Hall]], conducting the Symphony of the Air. The ambitious program included two overtures, [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'' and [[Gioacchino Rossini|Rossini]]'s [[William Tell (opera)|''William Tell'']], as well as [[Haydn]]'s [[Symphony No. 94 (Haydn)|"Surprise" Symphony]] and [[Beethoven's 5th Symphony]].<ref name="Claude Kenneson 2003, pg 280">Claude Kenneson, Musical Prodigies: Perilous Journeys, Remarkable Lives (hardback), Amadeus Press, 2003, pg 280. {{ISBN|1-57467-046-8}}</ref>


He appeared on two [[CBS]] Television Network [[Goodson-Todman]] produced game-shows. On November 14th, 1956 he was a guest on "[[I've Got a Secret]]" starring [[Garry Moore]] where he performed on four different instruments. On November 17, 1957, at the age of eight, he was a guest on the panel show ''[[What's My Line?]]''.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1812194 'What's My Line?' November 17, 1957 - IMDB entry]</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMoEI2r99w4|title=8-year-old symphony conductor Joey Alfidi on "What's My Line?" (November 17, 1957)|publisher=[[YouTube]]|accessdate=November 27, 2020}}</ref>
He appeared on two [[CBS]] Television Network [[Goodson-Todman]] produced game-shows. On November 14, 1956, he was a guest on ''[[I've Got a Secret]]'' starring [[Garry Moore]] where he performed on four different instruments. On November 17, 1957, at the age of eight, he was a guest on the panel show ''[[What's My Line?]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1812194 |title='What's My Line?' November 17, 1957 - IMDB entry |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=February 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217023842/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1812194/ |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMoEI2r99w4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/jMoEI2r99w4 |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=8-year-old symphony conductor Joey Alfidi on "What's My Line?" (November 17, 1957)|publisher=[[YouTube]]|accessdate=November 27, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


Further appearances in New York with the [[Symphony of the Air]] followed in 1957, 1958, and 1960, and Joey conducted in many other American cities and toured Europe. He attended rehearsals and concerts led by [[Leopold Stokowski]], [[Guido Cantelli]], [[Pierre Monteux]], Sir [[Thomas Beecham]], and [[Leonard Bernstein]].<ref name="Claude Kenneson 2003, pg 280"/>
Further appearances in New York with the [[Symphony of the Air]] followed in 1957, 1958, and 1960, and Joey conducted in many other American cities and toured Europe. He attended rehearsals and concerts led by [[Leopold Stokowski]], [[Guido Cantelli]], [[Pierre Monteux]], Sir [[Thomas Beecham]], and [[Leonard Bernstein]].<ref name="Claude Kenneson 2003, pg 280"/>


He was invited to the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] where he performed for [[Pope John XXIII]], who said the boy might turn out to be "another [[Mozart]]".<ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0914FA3F59127A93CAA8178BD95F4D8585F9&scp=18&sq=alfidi&st=cse (1959) "A Yonker Prodigy Impresses Pontiff" "New York Times". October 18]</ref>
He was invited to the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] where he performed for [[Pope John XXIII]], who said the boy might turn out to be "another [[Mozart]]".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0914FA3F59127A93CAA8178BD95F4D8585F9&scp=18&sq=alfidi&st=cse |title=(1959) "A Yonker Prodigy Impresses Pontiff" "New York Times". October 18 |access-date=February 10, 2017 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020035838/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0914FA3F59127A93CAA8178BD95F4D8585F9&scp=18&sq=alfidi&st=cse |url-status=live }}</ref>


Joey continued to perform as a piano virtuoso and to write symphonic compositions, chamber music, and piano works as he mastered [[conducting]]. In late November 1960, the 11-year-old appeared with the [[DeFilharmonie|Antwerp Philharmonic]] and was hailed as "the greatest child prodigy since Mozart".<ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C17FA3A541A7A93C0A91789D95F448685F9&scp=9&sq=alfidi&st=cse (1960) "Joey Alfidi Hailed in Brussels Concert" "New York Times". December 2]</ref> On December 1, 1960, he gave a royal command performance at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels before the Dowager Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, appearing in his multiple roles as pianist, conductor, and composer.<ref name="Claude Kenneson 2003, pg 280"/>
Joey continued to perform as a piano virtuoso and to write symphonic compositions, chamber music, and piano works as he mastered [[conducting]]. In late November 1960, the 11-year-old appeared with the [[DeFilharmonie|Antwerp Philharmonic]] and was hailed as "the greatest child prodigy since Mozart".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C17FA3A541A7A93C0A91789D95F448685F9&scp=9&sq=alfidi&st=cse |title=(1960) "Joey Alfidi Hailed in Brussels Concert" "New York Times". December 2 |access-date=February 10, 2017 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020035845/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C17FA3A541A7A93C0A91789D95F448685F9&scp=9&sq=alfidi&st=cse |url-status=live }}</ref> On December 1, 1960, he gave a royal command performance at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels before the Dowager Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, appearing in his multiple roles as pianist, conductor, and composer.<ref name="Claude Kenneson 2003, pg 280"/>


The live recording of this concert, released as a 2-LP set called "Command Performance", contains his own Piano Concerto No 2, Beethoven [[Symphony No. 8 (Beethoven)|Symphony No 8]], Beethoven [[Piano Concerto No. 3 (Beethoven)|3rd Piano Concerto]], Chopin [[Étude Op. 25, No. 12 (Chopin)|Etude Op. 25 No 12]], and Rachmaninoff [[Prelude in C sharp minor (Rachmaninoff)|Prelude in C-sharp Minor]].
The live recording of this concert, released as a 2-LP set called "Command Performance", contains his own Piano Concerto No 2, Beethoven [[Symphony No. 8 (Beethoven)|Symphony No 8]], Beethoven [[Piano Concerto No. 3 (Beethoven)|3rd Piano Concerto]], Chopin [[Étude Op. 25, No. 12 (Chopin)|Etude Op. 25 No 12]], and Rachmaninoff [[Prelude in C sharp minor (Rachmaninoff)|Prelude in C-sharp Minor]].


He accepted an invitation from Queen Elisabeth to study at the Brussels Conservatory, where his teachers included Eduardo del Pueyo and Jean Absil. In 1965, he received his Diplôme Supérieur for the piano and joined the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth for a three-year term of study.<ref name="cvxmelody.net">[http://www.cvxmelody.net/Alfidi_Brahms_Sonata3_EMI.htm Biography of Jo Alfidi from sleeve jacket of EMI Brahms recording]</ref>
He accepted an invitation from Queen Elisabeth to study at the Brussels Conservatory, where his teachers included Eduardo del Pueyo and Jean Absil. In 1965, he received his Diplôme Supérieur for the piano and joined the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth for a three-year term of study.<ref name="cvxmelody.net">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cvxmelody.net/Alfidi_Brahms_Sonata3_EMI.htm |title=Biography of Jo Alfidi from sleeve jacket of EMI Brahms recording |access-date=January 20, 2017 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202052532/http://www.cvxmelody.net/Alfidi_Brahms_Sonata3_EMI.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>


In 1972, Alfidi entered the prestigious [[Queen Elisabeth Competition]] in Brussels and won 3rd prize in a tightly contested field, placing ahead of the Polish-American [[Emanuel Ax]] and Frenchman [[Cyprien Katsaris]], highly celebrated pianists in their own right.<ref>[http://www.cypres-records.com/reine-elisabeth/en/palmares.html Queen Elisabeth Music Competition rankings from 1952-2003]</ref> The following year, he took First Prize at the 1973 [[Concours Complet International]] in [[Ourense]], Spain.<ref name="cvxmelody.net"/>
In 1972, Alfidi entered the prestigious [[Queen Elisabeth Competition]] in Brussels and won 3rd prize in a tightly contested field, placing ahead of the Polish-American [[Emanuel Ax]] and Frenchman [[Cyprien Katsaris]], highly celebrated pianists in their own right.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cypres-records.com/reine-elisabeth/en/palmares.html |title=Queen Elisabeth Music Competition rankings from 1952-2003 |access-date=March 3, 2009 |archive-date=April 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428085827/http://www.cypres-records.com/reine-elisabeth/en/palmares.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, he took First Prize at the 1973 [[Concours Complet International]] in [[Ourense]], Spain.<ref name="cvxmelody.net"/>


Several of Alfidi's performances from the 1972 Queen Elisabeth Competition were issued on LP, including his live [[Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rachmaninoff)|Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto]] from the final round with the Belgian National Orchestra (on the Deutsche Grammophon label), and various solo and duo pieces including works of Samuel Barber ; Frédéric Chopin ([[Ballade No. 1 (Chopin)|Ballade No 1]], [[Barcarolle (chopin)|Barcarolle]], Scherzo Nos [[Scherzo No. 2 (Chopin)|2]] & [[Scherzo No. 4 (Chopin)|4]]);<ref>[http://www.parnassusrecords.com/p335.htm Catalog of Parnassus Classical LP Records (New York)]</ref> Beethoven ([[Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)|Moonlight]], [[Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven)|Pathétique]], [[Piano Sonata No. 23 (Beethoven)|Appassionata]] Sonatas);<ref>[http://www.cleanrecord.com/downloads/onsale.txt Catalog of Clean Record (The Netherlands)]</ref> Rachmaninoff's Piano Suites Nos [[Suite No. 1 (Rachmaninoff)|1]] & [[Suite No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)|2]] and [[Symphonic Dances (Rachmaninoff)|Symphonic Dances Op 45]], Rachmaninoff's [[Isle of the Dead (Rachmaninoff)|Isle of the Dead]] Op 29 (in an arrangement for two pianos), as well as [[Concerto in F (Gershwin)|Gershwin's Concerto for piano and orchestra in F]] – all with the Flanders Philharmonic conducted by Theodor Bloomfield.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lamediatheque.be/med/recherche.php?thematique=&col=classique&details=EG4284&ser=28&sup=0&inp_compositeur=COPLAND%2C+Aaron&cmp_compositeur=COPLAND%2C+Aaron&key_compositeur=0000452&inp_oeuvre=&cmp_oeuvre=&key_oeuvre=0&top_oeuvre=&inp_interprete=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&cmp_interprete=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&key_interprete=0001201&action=discographie&pos_cri=&pos_tit=&nbr=20&acces=interprete&critere=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&reset=1&secured= |title=Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium) |access-date=July 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728073920/http://www.lamediatheque.be/med/recherche.php?thematique=&col=classique&details=EG4284&ser=28&sup=0&inp_compositeur=COPLAND,+Aaron&cmp_compositeur=COPLAND,+Aaron&key_compositeur=0000452&inp_oeuvre=&cmp_oeuvre=&key_oeuvre=0&top_oeuvre=&inp_interprete=ALFIDI,+Jo&cmp_interprete=ALFIDI,+Jo&key_interprete=0001201&action=discographie&pos_cri=&pos_tit=&nbr=20&acces=interprete&critere=ALFIDI,+Jo&reset=1&secured= |archive-date=July 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
Several of Alfidi's performances from the 1972 Queen Elisabeth Competition were issued on LP, including his live [[Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rachmaninoff)|Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto]] from the final round with the Belgian National Orchestra (on the Deutsche Grammophon label), and various solo and duo pieces including works of Samuel Barber ; Frédéric Chopin ([[Ballade No. 1 (Chopin)|Ballade No 1]], [[Barcarolle (chopin)|Barcarolle]], Scherzo Nos [[Scherzo No. 2 (Chopin)|2]] & [[Scherzo No. 4 (Chopin)|4]]);<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.parnassusrecords.com/p335.htm |title=Catalog of Parnassus Classical LP Records (New York) |access-date=March 2, 2009 |archive-date=November 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081112231011/http://www.parnassusrecords.com/p335.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Beethoven ([[Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)|Moonlight]], [[Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven)|Pathétique]], [[Piano Sonata No. 23 (Beethoven)|Appassionata]] Sonatas);<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cleanrecord.com/downloads/onsale.txt |title=Catalog of Clean Record (The Netherlands) |access-date=July 12, 2009 |archive-date=July 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729091844/http://www.cleanrecord.com/downloads/onsale.txt |url-status=live }}</ref> Rachmaninoff's Piano Suites Nos [[Suite No. 1 (Rachmaninoff)|1]] & [[Suite No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)|2]] and [[Symphonic Dances (Rachmaninoff)|Symphonic Dances Op 45]], Rachmaninoff's [[Isle of the Dead (Rachmaninoff)|Isle of the Dead]] Op 29 (in an arrangement for two pianos), as well as [[Concerto in F (Gershwin)|Gershwin's Concerto for piano and orchestra in F]] – all with the Flanders Philharmonic conducted by Theodor Bloomfield.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lamediatheque.be/med/recherche.php?thematique=&col=classique&details=EG4284&ser=28&sup=0&inp_compositeur=COPLAND%2C+Aaron&cmp_compositeur=COPLAND%2C+Aaron&key_compositeur=0000452&inp_oeuvre=&cmp_oeuvre=&key_oeuvre=0&top_oeuvre=&inp_interprete=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&cmp_interprete=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&key_interprete=0001201&action=discographie&pos_cri=&pos_tit=&nbr=20&acces=interprete&critere=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&reset=1&secured= |title=Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium) |access-date=July 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728073920/http://www.lamediatheque.be/med/recherche.php?thematique=&col=classique&details=EG4284&ser=28&sup=0&inp_compositeur=COPLAND,+Aaron&cmp_compositeur=COPLAND,+Aaron&key_compositeur=0000452&inp_oeuvre=&cmp_oeuvre=&key_oeuvre=0&top_oeuvre=&inp_interprete=ALFIDI,+Jo&cmp_interprete=ALFIDI,+Jo&key_interprete=0001201&action=discographie&pos_cri=&pos_tit=&nbr=20&acces=interprete&critere=ALFIDI,+Jo&reset=1&secured= |archive-date=July 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>


He made a number of studio recordings for EMI Belgium including the Leduc Piano Concerto,<ref>[https://archive.today/20120908211947/http://www.lamediatheque.be/med/rech_n.php?intervenant=ALFIDI+Jo&secured=&portail_sid=12640697129813&s=5e313f812b7a11f8716e649a5db24823&&supports=&details=&ofs=2 Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium)]</ref> [[Piano Sonata No. 3 (Brahms)|Brahms Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor]]<ref>[http://www.lamediatheque.be/med/recherche.php?thematique=&col=classique&details=DB7935&ser=28&sup=0&inp_compositeur=&cmp_compositeur=&key_compositeur=0&inp_oeuvre=&cmp_oeuvre=&key_oeuvre=0&top_oeuvre=&inp_interprete=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&cmp_interprete=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&key_interprete=0001201&action=discographie&pos_cri=&pos_tit=&nbr=20&acces=interprete&critere=ALFIDI%2C+Jo Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium)]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and another album with Schumann [[Kinderszenen]], Alfidi 2 Etudes, Franck [[Prelude, Chorale and Fugue (Franck)|Prelude Chorale and Fugue]], and pieces by Rachmaninov.<ref>[http://www.mikrokosmos.com/list507.txt Catalog of Ars Antiqua Mikrokosmos record dealer (Toronto)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001022123/http://www.mikrokosmos.com/list507.txt |date=October 1, 2009 }}</ref>
He made a number of studio recordings for EMI Belgium including the Leduc Piano Concerto,<ref>[https://archive.today/20120908211947/http://www.lamediatheque.be/med/rech_n.php?intervenant=ALFIDI+Jo&secured=&portail_sid=12640697129813&s=5e313f812b7a11f8716e649a5db24823&&supports=&details=&ofs=2 Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium)]</ref> [[Piano Sonata No. 3 (Brahms)|Brahms Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor]]<ref>[http://www.lamediatheque.be/med/recherche.php?thematique=&col=classique&details=DB7935&ser=28&sup=0&inp_compositeur=&cmp_compositeur=&key_compositeur=0&inp_oeuvre=&cmp_oeuvre=&key_oeuvre=0&top_oeuvre=&inp_interprete=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&cmp_interprete=ALFIDI%2C+Jo&key_interprete=0001201&action=discographie&pos_cri=&pos_tit=&nbr=20&acces=interprete&critere=ALFIDI%2C+Jo Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium)]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and another album with Schumann [[Kinderszenen]], Alfidi 2 Etudes, Franck [[Prelude, Chorale and Fugue (Franck)|Prelude Chorale and Fugue]], and pieces by Rachmaninov.<ref>[http://www.mikrokosmos.com/list507.txt Catalog of Ars Antiqua Mikrokosmos record dealer (Toronto)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001022123/http://www.mikrokosmos.com/list507.txt |date=October 1, 2009 }}</ref>


[[Arthur Rubinstein]], one of the 20th century's greatest pianists, heard Alfidi's LP recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto and was very impressed by it.<ref name="Harvey Sachs 1995, pg 399">Harvey Sachs, Rubinstein: A Life, Grove Press, 1995, pg 399. {{ISBN|0-8021-1579-9}}</ref> In 1979, the French film maker [[François Reichenbach]] produced for Televisa-Mexico a series of documentaries,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0717025 François Reichenbach videography on IMDB]</ref> including one entitled ''Arthur Rubinstein and the Young - Joe Alfidi & Arthur Rubinstein'' in which Alfidi is invited to Rubinstein's Paris apartment, and is shown performing excerpts from [[Piano Sonata (Liszt)|Liszt Sonata in B minor]], Chopin Scherzo No 2, Rachmaninov 3rd Piano Concerto and Alfidi's own original composition. Rubinstein expresses his admiration for Alfidi whom he describes as a "great musician" and predicts that he would become "one of the finest pianists of our time".
[[Arthur Rubinstein]], one of the 20th century's greatest pianists, heard Alfidi's LP recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto and was very impressed by it.<ref name="Harvey Sachs 1995, pg 399">Harvey Sachs, Rubinstein: A Life, Grove Press, 1995, pg 399. {{ISBN|0-8021-1579-9}}</ref> In 1979, the French film maker [[François Reichenbach]] produced for Televisa-Mexico a series of documentaries,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0717025 |title=François Reichenbach videography on IMDB |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-date=October 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026023759/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0717025/ |url-status=live }}</ref> including one entitled ''Arthur Rubinstein and the Young - Joe Alfidi & Arthur Rubinstein'' in which Alfidi is invited to Rubinstein's Paris apartment, and is shown performing excerpts from [[Piano Sonata (Liszt)|Liszt Sonata in B minor]], Chopin Scherzo No 2, Rachmaninov 3rd Piano Concerto and Alfidi's own original composition. Rubinstein expresses his admiration for Alfidi whom he describes as a "great musician" and predicts that he would become "one of the finest pianists of our time".


Around the same period, Rubinstein persuaded the conductor [[Emmanuel Krivine]] to engage Alfidi as soloist with Radio France's Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique.<ref name="Harvey Sachs 1995, pg 399"/>
Around the same period, Rubinstein persuaded the conductor [[Emmanuel Krivine]] to engage Alfidi as soloist with Radio France's Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique.<ref name="Harvey Sachs 1995, pg 399"/>


In 1982, Alfidi appeared on European television, performing [[Piano Concerto No. 4 (Rachmaninoff)|Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 4]] with the RTBF Nouvel Orchestra (of Belgium) under [[Meir Minsky]].<ref>[http://www.aandersan.de/photo3131211236.htm Private Collection of the Alexander Aandersan Foundation]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> A concert featuring Alfidi as soloist with the Lorraine Philharmonic Orchestra was televised on French television [[France 3|FR3]] in November 1983.<ref>[http://ortforum.forumactif.fr/la-television-d-hier-et-d-aujourd-hui-f1/programmes-tv-des-annees-80-t1358-60.htm Programmes TV des années 80]</ref>
In 1982, Alfidi appeared on European television, performing [[Piano Concerto No. 4 (Rachmaninoff)|Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 4]] with the RTBF Nouvel Orchestra (of Belgium) under [[Meir Minsky]].<ref>[http://www.aandersan.de/photo3131211236.htm Private Collection of the Alexander Aandersan Foundation]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> A concert featuring Alfidi as soloist with the Lorraine Philharmonic Orchestra was televised on French television [[France 3|FR3]] in November 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ortforum.forumactif.fr/la-television-d-hier-et-d-aujourd-hui-f1/programmes-tv-des-annees-80-t1358-60.htm |title=Programmes TV des années 80 |access-date=August 10, 2009 |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228115928/https://ortforum.kanak.fr/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


Joseph Alfidi later resided in Belgium where he taught piano at the [[Royal Conservatory of Liège]].<ref>[http://www.crlg.be/musique.asp?M=1&V=5 Faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Liège] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031020700/http://www.crlg.be/musique.asp?M=1&V=5 |date=October 31, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.uitinbrussel.be/evenement/jo-alfidi-piano Jo Alfidi recital in Brussels, November 5, 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617065242/http://www.uitinbrussel.be/evenement/jo-alfidi-piano |date=June 17, 2009 }}</ref> He died on 2 February 2015, at the age of 65.<ref>[http://slippedisc.com/2015/02/death-of-a-rubinstein-protege-aged-64/ Death of a Rubinstein protégé, aged 65]</ref>{{not in ref|date=September 2020}}
Joseph Alfidi later resided in Belgium where he taught piano at the [[Royal Conservatory of Liège]].<ref>[http://www.crlg.be/musique.asp?M=1&V=5 Faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Liège] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031020700/http://www.crlg.be/musique.asp?M=1&V=5 |date=October 31, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.uitinbrussel.be/evenement/jo-alfidi-piano Jo Alfidi recital in Brussels, November 5, 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617065242/http://www.uitinbrussel.be/evenement/jo-alfidi-piano |date=June 17, 2009 }}</ref> He died on 2 February 2015, at the age of 65.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://slippedisc.com/2015/02/death-of-a-rubinstein-protege-aged-64/ |title=Death of a Rubinstein protégé, aged 65 |access-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203152601/http://slippedisc.com/2015/02/death-of-a-rubinstein-protege-aged-64/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{not in ref|date=September 2020}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/art-culture/31347/the-american-pianist-joseph-alfidi-dies-in-brussels/ |title=The American pianist Joseph Alfidi dies in Brussels |access-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121122445/https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/art-culture/31347/the-american-pianist-joseph-alfidi-dies-in-brussels/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
<ref>{{cite web |title=The American pianist Joseph Alfidi dies in Brussels |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/art-culture/31347/the-american-pianist-joseph-alfidi-dies-in-brussels/ |website=The Brussels Times |access-date=21 December 2020 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121122445/https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/art-culture/31347/the-american-pianist-joseph-alfidi-dies-in-brussels/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
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Latest revision as of 11:27, 10 November 2024

Joseph Alfidi
Born(1949-05-28)May 28, 1949
Yonkers, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 2, 2015(2015-02-02) (aged 65)
Occupation(s)Pianist, composer, and conductor

Joseph Alfidi (May 28, 1949 – February 2, 2015) was an American pianist, composer, and conductor and initially a child prodigy. He was born in Yonkers, New York, as the son of American-born parents of Italian descent. His father, Frank Alfidi, was an accordion player who ran a music school in Yonkers. Known as "Joey" in his childhood, he was three when he started to play several instruments in his father's studio. By the age of four, he frequently improvised little compositions at the piano, and soon became fascinated by symphonic music as well.

Biography

[edit]

At the age of six, he had professional engagements to conduct the Miami Symphony Orchestra in Florida and members of the New York Philharmonic on Long Island.[1]

On November 18, 1956, the seven-year-old appeared in Carnegie Hall, conducting the Symphony of the Air. The ambitious program included two overtures, Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and Rossini's William Tell, as well as Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony and Beethoven's 5th Symphony.[2]

He appeared on two CBS Television Network Goodson-Todman produced game-shows. On November 14, 1956, he was a guest on I've Got a Secret starring Garry Moore where he performed on four different instruments. On November 17, 1957, at the age of eight, he was a guest on the panel show What's My Line?.[3] [4]

Further appearances in New York with the Symphony of the Air followed in 1957, 1958, and 1960, and Joey conducted in many other American cities and toured Europe. He attended rehearsals and concerts led by Leopold Stokowski, Guido Cantelli, Pierre Monteux, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Leonard Bernstein.[2]

He was invited to the Vatican where he performed for Pope John XXIII, who said the boy might turn out to be "another Mozart".[5]

Joey continued to perform as a piano virtuoso and to write symphonic compositions, chamber music, and piano works as he mastered conducting. In late November 1960, the 11-year-old appeared with the Antwerp Philharmonic and was hailed as "the greatest child prodigy since Mozart".[6] On December 1, 1960, he gave a royal command performance at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels before the Dowager Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, appearing in his multiple roles as pianist, conductor, and composer.[2]

The live recording of this concert, released as a 2-LP set called "Command Performance", contains his own Piano Concerto No 2, Beethoven Symphony No 8, Beethoven 3rd Piano Concerto, Chopin Etude Op. 25 No 12, and Rachmaninoff Prelude in C-sharp Minor.

He accepted an invitation from Queen Elisabeth to study at the Brussels Conservatory, where his teachers included Eduardo del Pueyo and Jean Absil. In 1965, he received his Diplôme Supérieur for the piano and joined the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth for a three-year term of study.[7]

In 1972, Alfidi entered the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and won 3rd prize in a tightly contested field, placing ahead of the Polish-American Emanuel Ax and Frenchman Cyprien Katsaris, highly celebrated pianists in their own right.[8] The following year, he took First Prize at the 1973 Concours Complet International in Ourense, Spain.[7]

Several of Alfidi's performances from the 1972 Queen Elisabeth Competition were issued on LP, including his live Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto from the final round with the Belgian National Orchestra (on the Deutsche Grammophon label), and various solo and duo pieces including works of Samuel Barber ; Frédéric Chopin (Ballade No 1, Barcarolle, Scherzo Nos 2 & 4);[9] Beethoven (Moonlight, Pathétique, Appassionata Sonatas);[10] Rachmaninoff's Piano Suites Nos 1 & 2 and Symphonic Dances Op 45, Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead Op 29 (in an arrangement for two pianos), as well as Gershwin's Concerto for piano and orchestra in F – all with the Flanders Philharmonic conducted by Theodor Bloomfield.[11]

He made a number of studio recordings for EMI Belgium including the Leduc Piano Concerto,[12] Brahms Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor[13] and another album with Schumann Kinderszenen, Alfidi 2 Etudes, Franck Prelude Chorale and Fugue, and pieces by Rachmaninov.[14]

Arthur Rubinstein, one of the 20th century's greatest pianists, heard Alfidi's LP recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto and was very impressed by it.[15] In 1979, the French film maker François Reichenbach produced for Televisa-Mexico a series of documentaries,[16] including one entitled Arthur Rubinstein and the Young - Joe Alfidi & Arthur Rubinstein in which Alfidi is invited to Rubinstein's Paris apartment, and is shown performing excerpts from Liszt Sonata in B minor, Chopin Scherzo No 2, Rachmaninov 3rd Piano Concerto and Alfidi's own original composition. Rubinstein expresses his admiration for Alfidi whom he describes as a "great musician" and predicts that he would become "one of the finest pianists of our time".

Around the same period, Rubinstein persuaded the conductor Emmanuel Krivine to engage Alfidi as soloist with Radio France's Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique.[15]

In 1982, Alfidi appeared on European television, performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 4 with the RTBF Nouvel Orchestra (of Belgium) under Meir Minsky.[17] A concert featuring Alfidi as soloist with the Lorraine Philharmonic Orchestra was televised on French television FR3 in November 1983.[18]

Joseph Alfidi later resided in Belgium where he taught piano at the Royal Conservatory of Liège.[19][20] He died on 2 February 2015, at the age of 65.[21][failed verification][22]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Claude Kenneson, Musical Prodigies: Perilous Journeys, Remarkable Lives (hardback), Amadeus Press, 2003, pg 279. ISBN 1-57467-046-8
  2. ^ a b c Claude Kenneson, Musical Prodigies: Perilous Journeys, Remarkable Lives (hardback), Amadeus Press, 2003, pg 280. ISBN 1-57467-046-8
  3. ^ "'What's My Line?' November 17, 1957 - IMDB entry". IMDb. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  4. ^ "8-year-old symphony conductor Joey Alfidi on "What's My Line?" (November 17, 1957)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  5. ^ "(1959) "A Yonker Prodigy Impresses Pontiff" "New York Times". October 18". Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  6. ^ "(1960) "Joey Alfidi Hailed in Brussels Concert" "New York Times". December 2". Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Biography of Jo Alfidi from sleeve jacket of EMI Brahms recording". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  8. ^ "Queen Elisabeth Music Competition rankings from 1952-2003". Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  9. ^ "Catalog of Parnassus Classical LP Records (New York)". Archived from the original on November 12, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  10. ^ "Catalog of Clean Record (The Netherlands)". Archived from the original on July 29, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  11. ^ "Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium)". Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  12. ^ Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium)
  13. ^ Catalog of La Médiathèque (Belgium)[permanent dead link‍]
  14. ^ Catalog of Ars Antiqua Mikrokosmos record dealer (Toronto) Archived October 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ a b Harvey Sachs, Rubinstein: A Life, Grove Press, 1995, pg 399. ISBN 0-8021-1579-9
  16. ^ "François Reichenbach videography on IMDB". IMDb. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  17. ^ Private Collection of the Alexander Aandersan Foundation[permanent dead link‍]
  18. ^ "Programmes TV des années 80". Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  19. ^ Faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Liège Archived October 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Jo Alfidi recital in Brussels, November 5, 2008 Archived June 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ "Death of a Rubinstein protégé, aged 65". Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  22. ^ "The American pianist Joseph Alfidi dies in Brussels". Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[1]

Further reading

[edit]
  1. ^ "The American pianist Joseph Alfidi dies in Brussels". The Brussels Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
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