Alfred Brendel, the Czech-born Austrian pianist, writer, composer, and lecturer, passed away on Tuesday (June 17) at his home in London. He was 94.
Largely self-taught after the age of 16, Brendel followed a unique path to the top. As a teenager, he was already an author and an exhibited painter. At the age of 14, in the final days of the Second World War, he dug trenches in Yugoslavia. In 1949 he won fourth prize at the Busoni Competition.
As a result of his cerebral approach, he was often described as “a musician’s musician.” As a commentator, he famously reminded us that “the word ‘listen’ contains the same letters as the word ‘silent.'” His approach as a thoughtful musical interpreter was summed up in the following quote: “If I belong to a tradition it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what he should do and not the performer telling the piece what it should be like, or the composer what he ought to have composed.”
Brendel was a prodigious writer of poetry and essays on music. His final concert occurred in Vienna on December 18, 2008
Central to Alfred Brendel’s repertoire was the music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms. Here are three recordings:
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 “Emperor”
I. Allegro:
II. Adagio un poco moto:
III. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo:
Schubert: Four Impromptus, D 899, Op 90
Liszt: Weinachtsbaum, S.186, Schlummerlied (Lullaby)
Recordings
- Explore Alfred Brendel’s complete discography.
Alfred Brendel (1931-2025) was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. He was considered to be a “pope” of style and authenticity. He nailed the German and Austrian composers, especially the classical (Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven) and romantic (Schubert, Schumann and Liszt) ones. One of the greatest pianists who signed and recorded for Philips label (with Claudio Arrau). RIP, Maestro!
Nogal eens werd Brendel omschreven als een muzikant, die vooral vanuit het hoofd speelde. Waar of niet waar, als je zijn opnames beluistert en met name die van de Eerste Weense School(inclusief de jonge Schubert!) dan ontkom je niet aan het feit dat zijn interpretaties precies zijn wat hij eerder omschreef: ‘de compositie bepaalt hoe deze moet worden gespeeld en niet de persoonlijke opvattingen van de uitvoerend pianist!’
Als je vanuit die focus zijn opnames beluistert dan rest slechts een minzaam gevoel van diep respect voor deze pianist!
yes, RIP Alfred. Wish I could thank you in person for your life’s contributions….
Radio 4 showed a surprising and depressing lack of awareness of world culture by featuring the pianist for Deacon Blue , a very good Scottish rock group , to a greater extent than Alfred Brendel . Why didn’t Brendel get a proper essay ?