ABSTRACT
Spanish/American pianist and conductor, born in Valencia. He studied in Valencia and Paris, played and taught in Switzerland, and toured widely. Settling in the U.S. in 1929, he performed throughout the country. In 1936-1944 he was conductor of the Rochester (New York) Philharmonic Orchestra. Iturbi was not only the most renowned Spanish pianist of the time, but he also developed a large following among filmgoers as a result of his playing in the Chopin biography A Song to Remember (1945). His recording of the “Polonaise No. 6 in A-Flat Major” (Victor 11-8848; 1945) was the first by a classical pianist to exceed sales of a million copies. He died in Hollywood.
