Alfred Cortot

About

Franco-Swiss pianist and conductor known for his mastery of Romantic-era composers.

Before Fame

He was a student at the Paris Conservatoire with Émile Descombes and Louis Diémer.

Trivia

He was a supporter of the Nazis during World War II for reasons that remained unclear given his wife's Jewish ancestry.

Family Life

His mother was Swiss and his father was French.

Associated With

He became the first to make electrical recordings of classical music, beginning with Franz Schubert's Litanei and Frederic Chopin's impromptus.