At the time of his death in a plane crash, aged 31, William Kapell was considered the best pianist ever to be born in America.
Born in New York on September 20, 1922, Kapell modelled himself on Schnabel and Horowitz, two pianistic antipodes.
After repeatedly riling New York’s critical cliques, he set off on a 17-concert tour of Australia from August to October 1953. Returning home, his plane crashed outside San Francisco, killing all on board.
