Gnomenreigen cziffra biography

Georges Cziffra overcame a background of poverty and bad fortune to forge a brilliant career as a world-class pianist.

George cziffra biography

His playing is full of mesmerizing velocity and acrobatics. But it's his skills as an improviser that really make his music shine.

Life

Gyorgy Cziffra was born in in Budapest, Hungary, to an extremely poor family.

He was a sickly child, fascinated by the piano.

Gyorgy cziffra biography

He didn't learn proper theory at first, but figured out music on his own and let his hands become masters of the keyboard.

He was soon improvising away with magnificent skill, inspired by the picture books and stories he loved to read.

At the age of 5 he was recruited by a circus to perform as a child prodigy.

He was paid handsomely (and beaten up by other children in his slum because of it), but his illness caught up with him and he had to stop after less than two weeks.

The Franz Liszt academy snapped him up when he was 9, and he impressed