Alfred Brendel Page This unofficial little pocket of cyberspace is devoted to alfred brendel, a classical pianist who must surely rank among the greats of this century. http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2192/brendel.html
Extractions: "The aim is to be freer and yet more accurate. The accuracy means that the details count as much as the whole and this is also something that people who are not performers do not understand. There are some performers who have a good overview but who lack the detail, or there are performers who bring details beautifully to light but do not have the big concept and don't know where they really belong and where they come from and where they lead to." Interview from Gramophone magazine (Stephen Plaistow, February 1996) T his unofficial little pocket of cyberspace is devoted to Alfred Brendel, a classical pianist who must surely rank among the greats of this century. Since his first recording of Beethoven's complete piano works in the 1960s and his return to the sonatas twice more in recorded format, he has been most closely identified with the German composer, but his repertoire has admirable scope as well as depth. If you're unfamiliar with his work, new to classical music, or just plain browsing you'll find that this page and its various links should give you some idea of his approach to the piano and music in general; and if you're already an admirer of his, I hope you still find a few bits worth your time.
The New York Review Of Books: Alfred Brendel alfred brendel. alfred brendel is a pianist and the author of Musical Thoughts and Afterthoughts and Music Sounded Out , as well as several volumes of poetry. http://www.nybooks.com/authors/527
Extractions: @import "/css/default.css"; Home Your account Current issue Archives ... NYR Books Alfred Brendel is a pianist and the author of Musical Thoughts and Afterthoughts and Music Sounded Out , as well as several volumes of poetry. (October 2002) July 17, 2003 PIANO PORTRAIT November 16, 2000 Beethoven's Musical Characters April 23, 1998 TWO POEMS December 18, 1997 On Isaiah Berlin (1909 - 1997) February 1, 1996 GETTING BACK TO LIFE November 16, 1995 BEETHOVEN'S TRIUMPH' February 16, 1995 On Playing Schoenberg's Piano Concerto August 15, 1991 March 28, 1991 'Leonore' Overture No. 3 Symphony No. 4 in B-flat, Op. 60 Symphony No. 9 in D Minor ('Choral'), Op. 125 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K 550, Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759 Symphony No. 9 in C ('The Great'), D. 9444 Tristan und Isolde November 22, 1990 The Pianist and the Program April 27, 1989 REPEAT PERFORMANCE March 16, 1989 'Schubert's Last Sonatas': An Exchange February 2, 1989 Schubert's Last Sonatas February 26, 1987 PLAYING LISZT November 20, 1986 The Noble Liszt June 27, 1985
Vox Music Group - Alfred Brendel 2001 Release alfred brendel celebrates his seventieth birthday year in 2001, a milestone observed in part by the present retrospective of the pianist s earliest recordings http://www.voxcd.com/release_brendel_2001_essays.html
Extractions: Harris Goldsmith To judge from its rubric, this richly deserved retrospective could aptly be described as A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Mr Brendel's discography fired its opening salvo with what might now seem a surprising and uncharacteristic piece: With Prokofiev's then infrequently heard Fifth Piano Concerto - a substantial composition to be sure, but certainly at a far remove from the protagonist's accustomed bailiwick (the recording, made in 1955 for the small independent Period label (SPL 599), shared its vinyl - these were of course in the days of mono lp - with Prokofiev played by different artists). High Fidelity's resident reviewer, Alfred Frankenstein, had high praise for the concerto and its performance; also finding the sound reproduction far superior to its discmates. My own tenure with High Fidelity began with the March 1960 issue but this writer's first direct awareness of Brendel came with the Vox release that juxtaposed Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy with Liszt's amplification of the same for piano and orchestra (now available on CD3X 3041). When that record was sent to me for review, I mentioned it to a dear friend and burgeoning piano student who had just returned to New York after spending time as a Fullbright Scholar. Speaking of Brendel (who he had just heard in Europe), my friend cited the then up-and-coming Austrian pianist's technique and musical rectitude, likening his interpretive style to Rudolf Serkin when he first came to public note as Adolf Busch's sonata partner and son-in-law. With that Schubert/Liszt apéritif, bolstered with my friend's encomium, I was eager and ready to partake in a substantial meal, if not a banquet.
Extractions: However, Fischer should be remembered not only as a solo pianist and conductor, but also as a chamber musician, song accompanist and teacher. Fischer's ensemble with Mainardi and Kulenkampff whose place was later taken by Schneiderhan reached the heights of trio playing, and as a partner of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf the master achieved the ideal fusion of simplicity and refinement. As an inspiring teacher he led two generations of young pianists 'away from the piano, and to themselves', and provided them with proper standards for their future careers. As an editor he helped to restore the Urtext of Classical masterpieces, and as a writer he formulated such memorable precepts as 'Put life into the music without doing violence to it.' Can there be a simpler formula for the task of the interpreter? All this calls to mind Alfred Cortot, as many-sided an artist as Fischer. The two masters, who had great admiration for each other, were poles apart in their repertoire; one could say that they complemented one another. Fischer was in his element in the Classic-Romantic realm of 'German' music, with Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. Cortot was particularly happy with Chopin, with some of Liszt's works, and with French piano music. In Schumann, their spheres met. At home, as he once told me, Fischer liked to play Chopin, whereas Cortot is reported to have had a sneaking affection for Brahms.
Extractions: 'T here are no bad pianos, only bad pianists.' An impressive statement, one that looks round for applause. A statement that will at once ring true to the layman and make him feel initiated as well as amused. A statement addressed perhaps to some revered virtuoso who did not refuse to play at a private party Busoni would have left the house right away and who, in spite of the detestable instrument, managed to hold his audience spellbound. It is a statement to confound any pianist. Admittedly, many a piano will sound less awful under the hands of an expert than under those of an amateur; but does that make it a good piano? To 'carry the day' on a badly regulated, unequally registered, faultily voiced, dull or noisy instrument implies as often as not that one has violated the music for which one is responsible, that control and refinement have been pushed aside, that the 'personal approach' has been greatly exaggerated and a dubious sort of mystique has taken over, far removed from the effect the piece should legitimately produce. How often does the player find a piano he can rely on, a piano which will do justice to the exactness of his vision? Is it to be wondered at that many of his performances remain compromises? After all, he should not have to struggle with the instrument, or impose his will tyrannically upon it, any more than the instrument should turn into a fetish, an object of idolization that dominates him. On the contrary, the player should make friends with the piano and assure himself of its services especially when Pianism with a capital P is to be transcended. He should give the instrument its due by showing how capable it is of transforming itself.
Alfred Brendel - His Official Site At Www.AlfredBrendel.com Official website for legendary pianist alfred brendel. Includes exclusive personal contributions including photos, audio interviews, poems, his favourite recordings, soundclips and more. http://www.alfredbrendel.com/
LookSmart - Directory - Alfred Brendel alfred brendel Learn about the writings and recordings of pianist alfred brendel. Access bios, discographies, and reviews. Directory http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317828/us317850/us4240287/us1136409/u
NPR PIANIST ALFRED BRENDEL pianist alfred brendel. Dec. 5, 1997. pianist alfred brendel plays the last of the Opus 126 Bagatelles by http://rdre1.inktomi.com/click?u=http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=10
Extractions: (click for larger image) The following is drawn from conversations between the pianist Alfred Brendel and the Swiss writer Martin Meyer, to be published in October. Martin Meyer : You see Mozart to a considerable extent as a composer of form. Could it not be that Mozart's strict sense of form is obscured for the public at large by his wonderful melodies, his so-called "sweetness"? Alfred Brendel MM : Astonishing for such an intelligent composer. AB Don Giovanni MM : When did you yourself discover the dark side of Mozart's genius? Was it clear from the moment you began to devote yourself to Mozart? AB Mozart , there is a tendency toward simplicity or simplification which may sometimes sound tired. The question then arises as to whether there are perhaps weaker works by Mozart, and whether one dares to talk about them. In this respect I am always very cautious, and proceed from the principle that if we have something to criticize in the work of a master, it is our fault rather than his. Nonetheless I'd like to say that some late Mozart, for example the Sarastro music in The Magic Flute , sounds rather anonymous. Mozart clearly did not feel at home in the world of institutionalized virtue.
Alfred Brendel On Music; Author: Brendel, Alfred; Paperback alfred brendel on Music. Author brendel, alfred. Paperback; Illustrations reading but an insight into the exceptional mind of a great pianist. The essays cover the mid 1950s to the http://www.netstoreusa.com/mubooks/186/1861053789.shtml
Extractions: The first collected volume of Brendel's written works. Illuminating and challenging, this collection of essays should appeal to both the specialist and the music lover. Brendel provides not only stimulating reading but an insight into the exceptional mind of a great pianist. The essays cover the mid 1950s to the mid 1990s.
Www.musikerforum.de : ALFRED BRENDEL Translate this page sicherlich rufen das kann doch nicht der alfred brendel sein, von dem Unglauben und Erstauntheit hervorgerufen haben, daß dieser pianist tatsächlich mit http://www.musikerforum.de/archiv/alfred-brendel.htm
Extractions: ALFRED BRENDEL Bio-/Diskographischer Versuch über Vertrautes und weniger Geläufiges Es war wieder eines der denkwürdigen, nervenaufreibenden und spannungsgeladenen Konzerte in der Philharmonie, mit welchem Alfred Brendel kürzlich geruhte, sein ergriffenes Publikum gleichermaßen zu faszinieren wie zu schockieren: er stellte in seiner ihm eigenen Manier geschickt weniger bekannte Stücke von Chopin den "Meisterwerken" von Debussy, Ravel und Rachmaninow gegenüber ! Unbeschreiblich, wie er demonstrierte, daß das cis-moll Prelude von Rachmaninow eigentlich gar kein Meisterwerk ist sondern lediglich...... Halt ! werden Sie jetzt sicherlich rufen das kann doch nicht d e r Alfred Brendel sein, von dem hier die Rede ist, der spielt doch nur Beethoven, Mozart und Schubert, vielleicht auch schon mal Liszt oder so ähnlich ! Ich kann Sie beruhigen: das erwähnte Konzert ist natürlich erfunden, aber es dürfte bei vielen Unglauben und Erstauntheit hervorgerufen haben, daß dieser Pianist tatsächlich mit einem solchen Programm konzertiert haben könnte. Warum aber eigentlich nicht ? Ist Brendel nur auf die erwähnten Komponisten festgelegt oder akzeptiert das Publikum keine anderen Werke, derer er sich bedienen könnte ? Letzteres möchte man fast so sehen, denkt man an den Beginn seiner Karriere zurück: ein relativ unbekannter und junger Pianist, der sich u. a. dem Klavierwerk von Liszt annimmt, diesen und auch noch Sonaten von einem gewissen Schubert im Konzertsaal spielt ? Unglaublich ! Das war man bisher nur von Artur Schnabel gewohnt, der es wagte, einen reinen Schubert-Abend zu geben und im zweiten Teil die gleichen Sonaten und Stücke wiederholte; aber Schnabel war ja schon alt, das hat man ihm gerne "nachgesehen".
Pianist Alfred Brendel Like A Museum Guide To Mozart Last update May 4, 2000 at 1124 AM. pianist alfred brendel like a museum guide to Mozart. Who Bernhard Klee, conductor; pianist alfred brendel, guest soloist. http://www.startribune.com/stories/1374/39175.html
Extractions: news freetime travel shopping ... Lost password? Member Center Log out news ... Last update: May 4, 2000 at 11:24 AM Michael Anthony, Star Tribune May 5, 2000 A lfred Brendel might be tired by now of being called the thinking listener's pianist, or the most cerebral of musicians. Such labeling, on the other hand, has perhaps helped him sell more albums than most other pianists. As Brendel demonstrated in a performance with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall Wednesday night, he draws the listener in through the sheer concentration of his thought, quirky though it might be in some cases. He's like a guide at a museum who says to his companions: "Here's something you might not have considered about the painting we're looking at." The painter in this case was Mozart, and the work was the Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482, one of the less-often-heard of Mozart's last great works for piano and orchestra. Brendel has always had his own take on Mozart, and his own sound. Whereas most Mozart players stress the long lines and their vocal quality, both in the solo and in the orchestra parts, Brendel often has focused on the shorter units, aiming to reveal hidden textures by applying a dry, detached, Baroque-influenced approach to the keyboard. He experimented with this most dramatically in a recording with Neville Marriner some years ago. The idea still fascinates him. Certainly the clipped, non-legato way he played the slow movement of this concerto Wednesday night avoided the sentimental and sounded almost hard in places. In the outer movements, the wit and bounce of the music came to the fore. The finale of this concerto rarely has sounded so buoyant.
Performance: WPAS: Alfred Brendel May 1, 2004 At 4:30 PM Celebrated pianist alfred brendel is recognized by critics and audiences alike for his keen ability to convey the intellectual and emotional content of the music he performs. This is a purely ' This is a purely 'brendel' program, culminating with one of Beethoven's greatest http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=
Brendel Feted With Box. (classical Pianist Alfred Brendel) HighBeam Research, Free Preview 'brendel feted with box. (classical pianist alfred brendel)' Full Membership required for unlimited access. Comprehensive archive of newspapers, magazines, brendel feted with box. ( classical pianist alfred brendel) Philips Set Spans 25 Years NEW YORK On the dual occasion of pianist alfred brendel's 65th birthday and his silver http://rdre1.inktomi.com/click?u=http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=
Classical Music - Andante - Web Directory links, calendar Excerpt alfred brendel Page unofficial little pocket of cyberspace is devoted to alfred brendel, a classical pianist who must surely http://www.andante.com/Directories/Web/index.cfm?iTopID=12
Brendel, Alfred alfred brendel. Austria 1931 alfred brendel is a pianist, renowned for his interpretations of Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Liszt, made his debut as a poet http://www.poetryinternational.org/cwolk/view/15555
Extractions: Alfred Brendel is a pianist, renowned for his interpretations of Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Liszt, made his debut as a poet at the age of sixty-seven with the collection Fingerzeig (1996). The same brilliant fingers making a new sound, wrote Harold Pinter after reading it. Brendel quickly followed it up with two more collections: Störendes Lachen während des Jaworts (1998) and Kleine Teufel I dreamt up these things in German, because I dream in German, and many poems began their life in that state between sleeping and waking which combines sense and non-sense, order and disorder. Brendels poems are full of wit and humour, frequently evoking the absurd. He shows us how people indulge in illusions, sometimes hilarious, often frightening. He also has a knack of combining incongruous elements; he brings famous operas to a surprising new close, makes the Buddha appear side by side with Santa Claus, or a pig tote a mobile phone. His brilliant, surprising texts are often profound as well as funny, sensitive as well as subversive. He writes about serious matters without taking himself seriously. Brendel names as his models the Dada poets, the grotesque poetry of Christian Morgenstern, and Shakespeare. Another favourite is
