Clara Haskil

A fall on a staircase at the Brussels-South railway station in December 1960 ended the life of Clara Haskil, a pianist whose career spanned decades of physical ailment and financial struggle. Born in Bucharest in 1895, she eventually secured citizenship in Switzerland, where she spent her final years as a resident of Vevey following her long-delayed international success.

Early Education and Formal Training

The daughter of Isaac Haskil and Berthe Haskil, Clara began her musical path in Romania before moving to Vienna to study under Richard Robert and briefly Ferruccio Busoni. In 1905, she enrolled at the Conservatoire de Paris. Although formally under the guidance of Alfred Cortot, she received primary instruction from Lazare Lévy and Mme Giraud-Latarse. By the age of 15, she had graduated with a Premier Prix, initiating a touring career that was repeatedly disrupted by health problems, most notably scoliosis, for which she was fitted with a plaster cast in 1913.

THE FREE TEST

How high is yours?

Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.

Take the IQ test →

Professional Obstacles and Recognition

For much of her adult life, she faced extreme stage fright, which became pronounced around 1920, and frequent periods of poverty. Her status as a performer remained limited until the period following World War II. During a series of concerts in the Netherlands in 1949, she began to reach a wider audience. She relocated to Vevey in 1951. Recognition for her contributions to music included being named a Knight of the Legion of Honour by the French state.

Collaborations and Musical Style

Known for a distinct purity of tone, her playing was frequently associated with the classical and early romantic repertoire, particularly the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and Scarlatti. Her ability as a chamber musician led to collaborations with artists such as George Enescu, Eugène Ysaÿe, Pablo Casals, Dinu Lipatti, Joseph Szigeti, Géza Anda, Isaac Stern, Henryk Szeryng, and Arthur Grumiaux. She performed under the direction of conductors including Ansermet, Beecham, Fricsay, Karajan, Klemperer, and Kubelík.

Final Recordings and Legacy

In November 1960, she recorded Mozart's Piano Concertos No. 20 in D minor and No. 24 in C minor with the Orchestre Lamoureux under Igor Markevitch. These performances are noted for their lyrical approach. Following her death, her legacy was maintained through the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition, founded in 1963 and held biennially in Vevey. Her remains are interred at Montparnasse Cemetery.