Classical Music: Death of Pianist Alfred Brendel, the Grace of a Classic
Published on
Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel during his last public concert at the famous Golden Auditorium of Vienna's Musikverein on December 18, 2008 in Vienna. DIETER NAGL / AFP
An unforgettable interpreter of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, pianist Alfred Brendel died on June 17 at the age of 94. His clear playing, based on an intimate knowledge of the repertoire and a high level of culture, influenced many artists who followed in his footsteps.
He is a product of Mitteleuropa, a self-taught and versatile artist who has just died. Alfred Brendel was born in Moravia (now the Czech Republic) on January 5, 1931, and, as an only child, followed his family on its travels through the lands of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire: first to Zagreb in Croatia, where he learned the piano and theater, then to Graz in southern Austria. It was there, between 1943 and 1947, that the young man studied at the Conservatory with Bernhard Stavenhagen, the pianist and heir to Franz Liszt. These were very difficult years in those wartime times: during the winter of 1945, the young Alfred was even sent to Yugoslavia to dig trenches, wearing out and injuring his adolescent hands.
This article is reserved for subscribers
La Croıx
