Obituary | Acclaimed Chinese-born pianist Fou Ts’ong, 86, dies from Covid-19 in the UK
- Born in Shanghai in 1934, Fou was particularly revered for his acclaimed interpretation of Chopin
- After leaving China on a scholarship in 1955 he did not return to the country until 1979 when the Cultural Revolution ended
The pianist Fou Ts’ong, one of the first Chinese-born soloists to achieve international stardom, died on Monday of Covid-19 at the age of 86.
Fou was particularly revered for his acclaimed interpretation of Chopin. Born in Shanghai in 1934, he studied under Western pianists in the city from an early age before winning a scholarship to the Warsaw Conservatory after taking third prize in the 5th International Chopin Competition in 1955. From then on, he toured widely and frequently, with London his home since 1958.
It was in London where he died, according to the announcement by the Alink-Argerich Foundation, an independent classical musical platform co-founded by Fou’s friend, the pianist Martha Argerich.
“We will always remember him as a great musician with a great personality,” the statement said.
Fou is also a household name among Sinophone communities because of being the recipient of the famed “Home Letters by Fu Lei”.
Fu, the pianist’s father, was a distinguished French translator who committed suicide with his wife Zhu Meifu in 1966 because of persecution during China’s Cultural Revolution. The couple wrote nearly 200 letters to their son, Fou, after he left for his scholarship in Warsaw, until their death. These were compiled and published in book form in 1981.