Lazar Berman Dies

Berman died in Florence where he resided since 1995, Ornella Cogliolo said Tuesday.

Berman performed with some of the greatest conductors in recent history, from Herbert von Karajan to Leonard Bernstein. His recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 under von Karajan was considered one of his greatest performances.

Born in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union - now St. Petersburg, Russia - Berman was introduced to the piano by his mother, and studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow under the great pedagogue Alexander Goldenweiser.

By age 10, Berman was performing with the Moscow Philharmonic, but it was only in the 1970s, when the Soviet government allowed him to play abroad, that his international career started.

His 1976 U.S. debut was followed by several international tours, during which he often played in Paris, London and at New York's Carnegie Hall.

In 1980, Soviet authorities again refused to let him travel abroad after banned American literature was found in his luggage. He left Moscow in 1990 to teach in Norway and Italy.

Berman performed under the direction of Bernstein, Claudio Abbado and Daniel Barenboim and played with ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

He received several awards during his career, winning the 1956 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Belgium. In 1977, his recording of Liszt's "Transcendental Studies" earned him the Franz Liszt Prize in the composer's native Hungary.

Berman devoted the last decade of his life to teaching and supporting talented young musicians. He sometimes performed with his son, Pavel, a violinist.

Survivors also include his wife, who is also a pianist.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)