Larrocha (y de la Calle), Alicia de
Larrocha (y de la Calle), Alicia de
Larrocha (y de la Calle), Alicia de, brilliant Spanish pianist; b. Barcelona, May 23, 1923. She studied piano with Frank Marshall and theory with Ricardo Lamote de Grignon. She made her first public appearance at the age of 5, and was soloist with the Orquesta Sinfonica of Madrid at the age of 11. In 1940 she launched her career in earnest. She began making major tours of Europe in 1947, making her first visit to the U.S. in 1955. Thereafter she toured throughout the world to great acclaim. She also served as director of the Marshall Academy in Barcelona from 1959. Her interpretations of Spanish music have evoked universal admiration for their authentic quality, but she has also been exuberantly praised by critics for her impeccable taste and exquisitely polished technique in classical works.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire