Obituary: Pianist Byron Janis, 95

In Monday’s (3/18) Washington Post, Tim Page writes, “Byron Janis, an American pianist celebrated for his extraordinary combination of technical virtuosity and urgent expression in Romantic-era music, died March 14 at a Manhattan hospital. He was 95. The death was announced by his wife, Maria Cooper Janis, who did not specify a cause. Mr. Janis had a career of supreme triumphs and near-constant physical struggles. While still in his teens, he was already making recordings for RCA Victor … became the first pianist taken as a student by the legendary Vladimir Horowitz … He played more than 100 concerts around the world before he turned 20…. Mr. Janis suffered from hand problems throughout his life, essentially playing with only nine fingers…. Janis was born Byron Yanks in McKeesport, Pa., on March 24, 1928 … At 15, Mr. Janis made his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra … under the direction of the 13-year-old Lorin Maazel [who] later became the music director of the PSO…. For years, Mr. Janis was one of the best-known classical musicians in the world, playing major stages from Philadelphia to Paris…. Mr. Janis taught at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts and the Manhattan School of Music, among other places, and was an occasional composer and conductor.”