Bulgarian-born French pianist Alexis Weissenberg, 82, whose love of music saved him and his mother from a World War II concentration camp and carried him to performances with Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein, has died.
Bulgaria's Ministry of Culture on Monday confirmed the death of Mr. Weissenberg, who was born into a Jewish family in the capital, Sofia, but spent most of his life abroad and became a French citizen.
An only child, Mr. Weissenberg recalled sharing "musical joys" learning piano and listening to recordings and concerts with his mother, before studying piano with a famous Bulgarian composer, Pancho Vladigerov.
