Dame Myra Hess, born in London, is remembered not only as a great pianist; she was the first artist to challenge the cultural blackout in England which closed all theaters, museums, galleries, and concert halls at the beginning of World War II. When Hess started a series of concerts in 1939, other artists -- actors, dancers -- followed suit.
Though raised as an Orthodox Jew, Hess was rather a free spirit, and known to smoke, drink, and tell dirty jokes.
For a pianist, she had very small hands and short reach, so she would "spread the chords," which means instead of hitting each key of the chord at the same time, she played them from the bottom upwards. I believe this is also called rolling the hands. It limited her repertoire, but brought a unique quality to the pieces she mastered.
Like many of the greats, and Argerich springs to mind, Hess had a paralyzing fear of performing in public. She said, "When listening to myself play, I feel I am going to my own funeral."
Here are two pieces. The first is Hess. The second, Alicia Delarrocha, who for a time studied with Hess.
Hess
Delarrocha
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