Menahem Pressler, a world-renowned pianist and founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio, has died in London at the age of 99.

Born in Magdeburg, Germany in 1923, Pressler and his immediate family escaped Nazi persecution in the wake of Kristallnacht in 1938, initially moving to Italy and then to Haifa in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine.

He made his professional debut at the age of 17 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and won first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1947.

In 1955, Pressler co-founded the Beaux Arts Trio with violinist Daniel Guilet and cellist Bernard Greenhouse. The trio went on to become one of the most celebrated chamber music ensembles of the 20th century, performing together for over 50 years and earning numerous accolades, including four Grammy nominations.

“We do everything together, the good things and the bad,” Pressler told The New York Times in 1981. “We travel and get lost together. We eat meals together. As in every close relationship, the musical traits and qualities that first attracted us to one another can become irritants, so...