ERC069 – A Debussy Recital by Samson François

Samson François was born on 18 May 1924 in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father was working at the French consulate. He discovered the piano at the age of two and his early studies were with the Italian composer Pietro Mascagni. He gave his first performance at the age of just six when he played a Mozart piano concerto under the direction of Mascagni. He went on to study at the Conservatoire in Nice from 1932 to 1935 where he won first prize. It was there that he came to the attention of the highly coveted French pianist Alfred Cortot, who...