Gregor Benko (born August 4, 1944 Cleveland, Ohio) is an American writer, lecturer, record producer, and collector-historian whose primary focus is classical piano performance documented on recordings from (or having to do with) the Romantic Era. His work helped lay the groundwork for the "
Romantic RevivalThe Romantic revival in serious music arose in the 1960s after decades of relatively conservative and traditional offerings by the world’s concert presenting organizations and record companies....
," which continued on into the 21st century.
He was the founder, along with Albert Petrak of the International Piano Archives (initially named the International Piano Library but later changed due to state law).
Gregor Benko (born August 4, 1944 Cleveland, Ohio) is an American writer, lecturer, record producer, and collector-historian whose primary focus is classical piano performance documented on recordings from (or having to do with) the Romantic Era. His work helped lay the groundwork for the "
Romantic RevivalThe Romantic revival in serious music arose in the 1960s after decades of relatively conservative and traditional offerings by the world’s concert presenting organizations and record companies....
," which continued on into the 21st century.
He was the founder, along with Albert Petrak of the International Piano Archives (initially named the International Piano Library but later changed due to state law). Benko managed the non-profit institution for two decades, attracting Spanish virtuosa
Alicia de LarrochaAlicia de Larrocha y de la Calle was a Spanish Catalan pianist. Reuters referred to her as "the greatest Spanish pianist in history" and Time called her "one of the world's most outstanding pianists"...
to act as the actual President of the corporation, and building an enormous collection of recordings, scores, memorabilia and associated matter concerning concert pianists. In 1977 Benko donated the collections to the
University of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland...
, where they formed the nucleus of the International Piano Archives at Maryland.
Perhaps Benko's most hailed achievement to date is the unearthing and publishing of all known recordings of the Polish virtuoso Josef Hofmann, as well as dozens of historic recordings by other "golden age" pianists. He is also credited with rediscovering and bringing back to public awareness the elderly and reclusive Hungarian piano virtuoso
Ervin NyiregyhaziErvin Nyíregyházi was a Hungarian-born American pianist. -Childhood and early career:From ages six to twelve Nyíregyházi was observed by the psychologist Géza Révész and was the subject of an article and a book, published in 1911 and 1916, respectively...
. The recordings that Benko produced, initially for the International Piano Archives, as well as new recordings he made with Nyiregyhazi that were issued by
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers,...
, were heatedly discussed for a time due to the pianist's enormous dynamic range and willful interpretive style. Well-regarded critic
Harold C. SchonbergHarold Charles Schonberg was an American music critic and journalist, most notably for The New York Times. He was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism...
- also a devotee of Romantic pianism - called one of them "a divine madness." Benko had almost no formal education, but credits his close relationships with Schonberg and
Frank CooperFrank Arthur Cooper was Premier of Queensland from 1942 to 1946 for the Australian Labor Party.He was born on 16 July 1872 at Blayney, New South Wales and died at Kedron, Queensland....
, founder of the
Festival of Neglected Romantic MusicThe Festival of Neglected Romantic Music was founded by musicologist Frank Cooper at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1968.Cooper directed the Festival for the next eleven years, during which time many seminal works of the Romantic era that had not been heard since the 19th century...
at
Butler UniversityButler University is a private liberal arts university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It was founded by abolitionist and attorney Ovid Butler in 1855...
, as the most important professional associations in his life, and considers each a mentor.
Benko's later career has included lecturing, articles, reviews, liner notes. He has been engaged for over thirty years in work on a comprehensive biography of Josef Hofmann.