Thanks to On The Bay Magazine for a great interview. @onthebay1029 @collingwoodfest #collingwoodfest #collingwood2021 ...

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Very sad to learn about the passing away of Fou Ts’ong. I worked with Fou Ts’ong several times during my Lake Como years, where we had the advantage of being able to spend many dinners together in intimate conversation, in addition to masterclasses.

While he was smoking away at his pipe, we always learned a great deal about his unique, poetic approach to music interpretation, the many incredible musicians he had collaborated with and about the unspeakable tragedy that beset his family as a result of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. His parents were targeted by the regime and eventually committed suicide; his father Fu Lei was a highly-respected translator of the works of Balzac into Chinese.

He always called me his “Polish brother”. He once told me that he would not have been alive if it wasn’t for the strong efforts of the music faculty at the Chopin Academy of Warsaw, especially Zbigniew Drzewiecki who helped him remain in Poland in the early 1950s. He later went on to win third prize at the Intl. Chopin Piano Competition and eventually settled in London, where he had lived and taught ever since.

He had a special affinity for the music of Chopin and Debussy, which left an everlasting impression on his students. He understood and grasped the many elements of Polish folklore, making him a prized interpreter of the Mazurka among other forms. Fou’s vibrant legacy lives on via his magnificent recordings and the pedagogical insights he passed onto his students, many of whom enjoy wonderful careers today.

Deepest condolences to Patsy and the family. ...

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RIP legendary violinist Ivry Gitlis ...