Noted pianist Eugene Istomin dies

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Eugene Istomin, a pianist regarded as one of the 20th century's top interpreters of classical and Romantic music, has died. He was 77.

Istomin died of liver cancer Friday at his home in Washington D.C., the Washinton Post reported Saturday. He was known for a series of widely hailed recordings and performances with violinist Isaac Stern and cellist Leonard Rose from 1961 to 1984.

Istomin, Stern and Rose were highly regarded for their performances of Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert.

Istomin was reputed to have made 4,000 concert appearances and traveled as much as 100,000 milles each year. He worked with such noted conductors as Bruno Walter, Fritz Reiner, George Szell, Charles Munch, Eugene Ormandy, Leopold Stokowski, Georg Solti and Leonard Bernstein.

He is survived by his wife, Marta Casals Istomin, a former Kennedy Center artistic director, who now president of the Manhattan School of Music.