Clara Haskil

Romanian pianist Clara Haskil (1895-1960) was a celebrated interpreter of classical and early romantic repertoire. She was particularly noted for her performances and recordings of W.A. Mozart, and many considered her to be the foremost interpreter of Mozart in her time. Haskil collaborated with such famed musicians as Georges Enescu, Eugène Ysaÿe, Pablo Casals and Arthur Grumiaux. Frequent illnesses, combined with extreme stage fright, kept her for a long time from critical or financial success. Most of her life was spent in poverty. 1942 she was granted asylum in Switzerland, but it was not until after World War II that she began to win the acclaim she deserved. As a pianist, Haskil's playing was marked by a purity in tone and phrasing, Her playing sings with romantic feeling.