Ruth Slenczynska (born January 15, 1925) is an American pianist with Polish roots.
Early life
Slenczynska was born in Sacramento, California. Her Polish father, Joseph Slenczynski (Józef Ślenczyński), was a violinist. Pushed by her father and starting at age three, Slenczynska was forced to practice the piano relentlessly. When she was four, she began her piano studies in Europe, later studying with Artur Schnabel, Egon Petri, Alfred Cortot, Josef Hofmann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. She played her debut in Berlin at age six and made her debut in Paris with a full orchestra at seven years of age.
Career
Slenczynska was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley. In 1964, she accepted a full-time position at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as Artist in Residence, a title she retained until 1987. A large assortment of her memorabilia and recordings constitutes a Special Collection in the Lovejoy Library at SIUE. In 1957 she published a book of memoirs, Forbidden Childhood, which deals with life as a child prodigy, and a book on piano technique, Music at Your Fingertips: Aspects of Pianoforte Technique.
Selected recordings
"Complete American Decca recordings", Chopin : Les 24 préludes, Les 24 Études, Les 16 valses, Les quatre impromptus, Les quatre scherzo, Les quatre ballades, les 16 valses, Polonaise op.53. Liszt/Chopin : Six chants polonais. Liszt : Rhapsodie espagnole, Rhapsodie hongroise n°15, Étude n°5, six grandes études by Paganini, Concerto pour piano n°1. Saint-Saëns : concerto pour piano n°2. Decca (1956/1962). 10 CD DG Eloquence 2020. Diapason d'or 2021. "My Life in Music", Decca (2022).