Alfred Brendel, the Moravian-born Austrian-British pianist widely celebrated as an authoritative interpreter of the Austro-German classical repertory, has died at 94.
A largely self-taught musician, Brendel began his career in post-World War II Vienna. He first drew international notice with recordings, especially of the Mozart piano concertos, for Vox, a budget record label. His later recordings, for Philips, ranged through the Germanic classics, including most or all of the piano works of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. While he was a prominent exponent of Liszt, he avoided other virtuoso romantic literature.
Brendel also was an author and poet, and was known offstage for his sense of humor, contrasting with his reputation as an intellectual, at times almost clinical, musical interpreter.
“While others seem to receive their music whole, Mr. Brendel has to reinvent his for himself – piece by piece,” The New York Times critic Bernard Holland wrote in 1983. “It is a laborious effort, and though Mr. Brendel’s playing does not always please us – it can lapse into brutality and ugly angularity – we are nevertheless drawn to it.”
Brendel was most popular and critically acclaimed in Britain and Europe. He retired from the stage in 2008, but continued to write, speak and mentor young pianists.
An obituary by The Times’ Daniel Lewis:
Letter V 