Popular Western musician whose mastery of Frederic Chopin's repertoire was legendary.
He became in 1919 the first notable European pianist to tour Persia.
He performed for dockers, factory workers, miners, and the troops during World War II.
His aristocratic parents feared that his talents would be exploited and discouraged him from performing, but when his father died when he was nine, he was forced to begin his concert career in order to earn money for his family.
He and Arthur Rubinstein competed against each other in 1910 for the St. Petersburg Rubinstein Prize. Neither won.
