Canadian pianist hospitalized after medical emergency in mid-recital: Reports

MIAMI – Media reports say that Canadian pianist Anton Kuerti is in a Miami hospital after being taken by ambulance from an all-Beethoven solo recital at a Miami church on Thursday night.

Reports say Kuerti was just a few minutes into the program and playing clearly when he suddenly became disoriented, causing concern among audience members.

Alan Penchansky of the Friends of Chamber Music of Miami, which presented the concert, told the Globe and Mail that Kuerti started playing a Beethoven rondo over and over again.

Penchansky told the Globe it sounded like he was “stuck in some sort of a loop.”

Several media reports say the 75-year-old pianist was then rushed to hospital, his current condition is not known.

Kuerti was born in Austria, grew up in the U.S., and has lived in Canada for more than 35 years, according to his profile on the website of his management firm.

It said Kuerti has performed in some 140 communities across Canada, including 39 concerts with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.