A Pianist's World in Drawings [NOOK Book]

One of the world’s foremost concert pianists, Misha Dichter is also a celebrated artist—who has documented his life and musical career in witty and insightful black and white sketches for over 40 years. Many of the drawings have appeared to high acclaim in New York art galleries, and in A Pianist’s World in Drawings, the artist’s complete body of work is now available to fans, art aficionados, and collectors for the first time.

This collection provides readers with an astute and perceptive visual account of the artist’s life onstage, on the road, and behind the curtain. The accompanying captions and anecdotes deliver a fascinating and humorous perspective on the life of a high-profile professional musician.

Dichter’s drawings have been compared to those of New Yorker artists Saul Steinberg and George Grosz, both of whom bring a perspective of playful satire to their work. Screenwriter Marshall Brickman writes, “Not content with being one of our premiere concert artists, Misha Dichter has the temerity also to be a brilliant graphic artist. His drawings display all the grace, wit, and sureness of style we’ve come to expect form his performances. He has captured his world in a series of keenly and often hilariously observed drawings filled with wry insight. This is a collection for lovers of both music and graphic art. Move over, Saul Steinberg – there’s a new guy on the block.”

“Misha Dichter shakes his diligent classical piano training to ‘play’ freely in his drawings. The joy we feel looking at them is rooted in the pleasure he takes making them. They are his record of trips taken, important moments, and the music world he knows so well. The drawings share the playfulness of Paul Klee and Saul Steinberg mixed with the social commentary of George Grosz.”
—James Goodman

“I always enjoyed Misha's drawings. I found them artistic and so clever. Every time I look at them I say ‘Aha! So true!’ These cartoons are timeless.”
—Itzhak Perlman

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Misha Dichter’s family is from Poland—but he was born in Shanghai in 1945, after his Jewish parents fled the country at the onset of World War II. A few years later the family moved to Los Angeles—where he began piano lessons at the age of six. He later enrolled in The Juilliard School, studying under Rosina Lhevinne, and won the Silver Medal in the 1966 Tchaikovsky Competition—launching an acclaimed international career.

Today, Mr. Dichter has performed with almost every major orchestra in the world. His critically-applauded classical recordings with MusicMasters, Koch Classics, Philips, and RCA display a passionate and nuanced interpretation of Brahms, Liszt, Gershwin, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Schubert, and other master composers. His frequent duo-piano performances with his wife, pianist Cipa Dichter, take him to festivals and concert halls throughout Europe and North America. Their first recording together, a three-CD album of Mozart’s complete piano works for four hands released under the Musical Heritage Society label, was named 2005 Record of the Year by Music Web International.

Mr. Dichter is also an accomplished writer—having contributed articles to renowned publications including The New York Times.