Mordecai Shehori (; born 20 April 1946) is an Israeli-American pianist.

Biography Shehori was born in Israel and studied in Tel Aviv with Mindru Katz, whom he cites as his most influential teacher.Interview with Mordecai Shehori by Victor Eskenasy, Suplimentul de cultura, June 2008 (in Romanian) Part 1 Part 2 At the age of nine he gave his first public performance. Later he received first prize in the Beethoven CompetitionDavid Dubal, Remembering Horowitz - 125 Pianists Recall a Legend (paperback), Schirmer Books, 1993, pg 240. and received the American Israel Cultural Foundation Award. In New York, he studied with Claude Frank at the Mannes College of Music and graduated from the Juilliard School.

Shehori made his New York debut after winning the 1974 Jeunesses Musicales Competition. He concertises in the United States, Canada, and Europe and has performed at various music festivals and at the White House. He has given 27 different recital programs in New York in as many years. His commercial recordings for Connoisseur Society and Cembal d'amour include music by Beethoven, Chopin, Scarlatti, Liszt, Rameau, Rachmaninoff, and many others. He is a two-time recipient of the La Gesse Foundation Award, and is listed on the roster of Steinway & Sons.

From 1971 to 1982, Shehori was piano teacher to Isaac and Vera Stern's children. In spite of that In 2014, Shehori has stated that Stern used his total control of the music world as the president of Carnegie Hall to dictate managements, presenters, record companies who he approves and who according to him should NOT have a career in music. He attempted to sabotage Shehori's career, as he did with the great violinists David Nadien, Berl Senofsky, Aaron Rosand, Shmuel Askenazi and many others, exerting huge and insulting pressure on Shehori's family to force him to return to Israel and by blocking any possibility of Shehori making a living as a concert pianist.

In February 1987, Shehori assisted Vladimir Horowitz in preparing Mozart's Piano Concerto K.488, playing the orchestral reduction on second piano, while Horowitz played the concerto's solo part. This took place in the basement of Steinway & Sons in New York City.David Dubal, Remembering Horowitz - 125 Pianists Recall a Legend (paperback), Schirmer Books, 1993, pg 241. Later that year, Horowitz traveled to Milan and recorded the concerto for Deutsche Grammophon with the La Scala Theater Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini.Harold C. Schonberg, Horowitz: His Life and Music, Simon & Schuster, 1992, pg 305.

Horowitz was so pleased with Shehori's accompaniment that he began to invite him to his home on East 94th Street. Shehori spent many evenings with the Horowitzes.Harold C. Schonberg, Horowitz: His Life and Music, Simon & Schuster, 1992, pg 304. Shehori acted as page turner for Horowitz in what turned out to be the sessions for his final recording in Horowitz's New York home from October 24, 1989 to November 1, 1989. Horowitz died just a few days later, on November 5, 1989. Shehori has cited his friendship and artistic collaboration with Vladimir Horowitz as a significant source of knowledge and inspiration.

“Mordecai Shehori’s concert served as a welcome reminder that there is a place for originality in re-creations of classical materials.”

References

Reviews of Concerts Ericson, Raymond, et al. (1974). "Music in Review; Israeli Pianist in Debut Here" New York Times. March 24. (1976). "Mordecai Shehori Gives Piano Recital" New York Times. June 3. Ericson, Raymond (1979). "Piano Recital: Shehori Plays Three Sonatas". New York Times. May 26. Page, Tim (1984). "Music: Mordecai Shehori" New York Times. May 18. Rivers, Kate (1984). "Shehori: Poetry in Music" The Washington Post. November 3. Kimmelman, Michael (1987). "Recital: Mordecai Shehori, Pianist, At Merkin Hall." New York Times. May 22. Crutchfield, Will (1989). "Review/Piano; Hearing More Than Beethoven Set Down." New York Times. June 9. Henahan, Donal (1990). "Review/Piano; A Recitalist to Undermine a Critic." New York Times. May 9. Holland, Bernard (1995). "In Performance; Classical Music - A Pianist Reconciles 2 Composers' Contrasts" New York Times. June 12. Kozinn, Allan (1997). "Classical Music in Review: Signs of a Poet, And a Daredevil" New York Times. May 22. Kozinn, Allan (2003). "Music in Review: Classical Music; Making a Lost Style Speak to Today's Ears" New York Times. June 17. Schultz, Rick (2007). "A touch of Horowitz amid patter and pooches" Los Angeles Times. June 12.

Reviews of Recordings Kozinn, Allan (1991). "Record Brief - D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonatas (6); Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 3; Brahms: Paganini Variations (Op. 35) Mordecai Shehori, piano. Connoisseur Society CD4177; CD." New York Times. September 29. Duchen, Jessica. "Schubert/Liszt/Fauré, Mordecai Shehori (piano)" BBC Music Magazine. Distler, Jed. "Review: Learning by Example Volume 2." Classicstoday.com. Distler, Jed. "The New York Recitals Volume 1." Classicstoday.com. Turok, Paul. "Turok's Choice - April 2001" Andante.com. Lemco, Gary (July 2002). "Liszt: Love and the Devil" Audiophile Audition.

Woolf, Jonathan (January 2003). "Classical CD Review - New York Recitals Volume 1 Mordecai Shehori, piano" Musicweb-International.com. Woolf, Jonathan (February 2003). "Classical CD Review - Franz Liszt Volume 1 Mordecai Shehori, piano" Musicweb-International.com. Woolf, Jonathan (April 2003). "Classical CD Review - Bach arr. Siloti, Handel, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert arr. Liszt, Liszt Mordecai Shehori, piano" Musicweb-International.com. Woolf, Jonathan (March 2006). "Classical CD Review - Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt Mordecai Shehori, piano" Musicweb-International.com. [ Brownell, Mike (January 2008). "The Celebrated New York Concerts - Vol 2" Allmusicguide.com.] Woolf, Jonathan (March 2008). "Classical CD Review - Celebrated New York Concerts Volume 2 Mordecai Shehori, piano" Musicweb-International.com. Woolf, Jonathan (June 2008). "Mordecai Shehori Learning by Example Vols 1-3" Musicweb-International.com. Woolf, Jonathan (June 2008). "The Celebrated New York Concerts Volume 3 Mordecai Shehori, piano" Musicweb-International.com. Haylock, Julian (July 2008). "The Celebrated New York Concerts Volume 3 Mordecai Shehori, piano" International Piano Magazine.

Lemco, Gary (January 2009). "The Celebrated New York Concerts Volume 3" Audiophile Audition. Woolf, Jonathan (February 2009). "CD Review - Mordecai Shehori plays Schumann & Liszt" Musicweb-International.com. Lemco, Gary (July 2009). "Shehori plays Mozart" Audiophile Audition.

Lemco, Gary (September 2010). "Moscheles and Fetis: 'Methode des Methodes' - Mordecai Shehori, piano" Audiophile Audition.

External links Bach Cantatas.com page on Mordecai Shehori Commercial discography of Mordecai Shehori Biographical notes on Mordecai Shehori The Papers of Vladimir and Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, Yale University. Photographs of Horowitz taken by Mordecai Shehori Article by Mordecai Shehori describing his friendship and artistic collaboration with Vladimir Horowitz David Dubal interview with Mordecai Shehori (1 of 2), WNCN-FM, 6-Feb-1981 David Dubal interview with Mordecai Shehori (2 of 2), WNCN-FM, 22-Jan-1982 La Gesse Foundation Award past winners Steinway Artists roster