Gelber, Bruno-Leonardo
Gelber, Bruno-Leonardo
Gelber, Bruno-Leonardo, esteemed Argentine pianist of Austrian and French-Italian descent; b. Buenos Aires, March 19, 1941. His parents were musicians and he took up the piano at a very early age; he was only 5 when he made his first public appearance, and at 6 became a pupil of Vincenzo Scaramuzza. When he was 7 he was stricken with poliomyelitis; while con-fined to his bed for a year, he continued to practice with his bed slid under the piano. At age 8, he made his formal recital debut; when he was 15 he attracted wide notice when he appeared as soloist in the Schumann Concerto under Lorin Maazel’s direction in Buenos Aires. In 1960 he was awarded a French government grant and pursued his training in Paris with Marguerite Long. In 1961 he won 3rd prize in the Long-Thibaud competition. In subsequent years he toured all over the world, appearing as a soloist with the great orchs. and as a recitalist in the major music centers. He has won deserved accolades for his compelling performances of the Classical and Romantic repertory.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire