(Schwabach, May 12, 1814 – Warmbrunn, October 10, 1889)
Georg Martin Adolf von Henselt (Schwabach, May 12, 1814 – Warmbrunn, October 10, 1889) was three years old when his parents, Phillip E. Henselt and Caroline Geigenmüller, decided to move to Munich for economic reasons.
He approached music early, playing the violin at the age of three and the piano at five. At fifteen, he gave his first public recital. Admired by the music of Carl Maria von Weber, during his youth, he made many transcriptions and arrangements of the music of the composer and pianist from Eutin.
In 1832 he studied music (piano) in Weimar under the guidance of Johnann Hummel and composition with Simon Sechter, thanks to a scholarship from King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
In 1836, in Weimar, he met Rosalie Vögel, the wife of a court physicist and friend of Goethe, whom he married after his divorce. This love would inspire his Poéme d'amour op. 3, one of the German composer's most appreciated works.
He stood out for his peculiar piano technique, which was based on a large opening of the fingers and a major strict "legato."
In 1836, he began his career as a concert pianist in Berlin. Just two years later, he was published in Russia, in St. Petersburg, where he obtained important positions, including that of court pianist and teacher. His teachings and compositions influenced the new generation of local pianists.
After a few years, in 1863, Henselt was appointed general inspector of all musical institutions linked to the Russian court. Among his students are Nicolai Zverev, Ivan Neylisov, and Gustav Kross.
Although his compositions were not numerous and his public appearances were not frequent, Adolf von Henselt was one of the most appreciated pianists of his time. It is a pity that he suffered from severe stage fright. Alexander Dreyshock told an anecdote about this. He said that one day while visiting Henselt's house, he heard from outside one of the most beautiful melodies he had ever heard. He was so impressed that he did not even ring the doorbell and listened to the entire musical performance from outside. When the music was finished, Dreyshock entered Henselt's house and asked her to play it again, and the result was much inferior to what he had heard before from outside. Henselt's nerves had betrayed him.
Among his major works are a Piano Concerto, Concert Studies, Poème d'amour, Ballade, and Preparatory Exercises.
Naturally, Henselt's Piano Concerto reflects his characteristics as a pianist. The piece requires the performer to have a hand reach that can play chords spanning tenths with ease, a lyrical, cantabile execution, and an incredible technical mastery to execute thundering octave passages, flashy arpeggios, and rapid octave jumps—somewhat akin to a figure skater having to perform endlessly. triple and quadruple jumps and land them perfectly and gracefully every time. One thing to note is that all the difficulties in the solo part and the incredible feats accomplished by the pianist are often not immediately apparent without the score. With the constant technical demands, the concerto requires athleticism, stamina, and endurance on the part of the pianist. Currently, only three concerto recordings are available, so it is an extremely rare pleasure to hear this concerto live today.
