Lili Kraus

the long version

"A talented pianist and a woman of great vitality and charm, Lili Kraus was one of the most extraordinary musicians of the twentieth century. Born into extreme poverty in Budapest, she showed such musical talent that by the age of seven she was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music as a piano major. Eventually she studied with Bartok and Schnabel, the great apostle of the Viennese classicists, and became one of the leading interpreters of the Mozart piano repertoire. Her long and distinguished performing career included appearances with the world's major orchestras and over a hundred recordings.". "Kraus's life was as fascinating as her music. As Nazism hovered over Germany, she and her husband, Otto Mandl, converted to Catholicism and finally fled to the Dutch East Indies, where they and their two children were interned by the Japanese in separate prisoner-of-war camps. Kraus turned that grim and bitter experience into an opportunity for personal and professional reflection and growth.". "An intriguing world figure, she became an American by association when she moved to Texas to accept a position with TCU in Fort Worth."--BOOK JACKET.