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Alfred Brendel, departed at age 94

108.217.126.76
Posted on June 17, 2025 at 15:18:17
hesson11
Audiophile

Posts: 2329
Location: Florida
Joined: December 8, 2005
 Maybe you loved him, maybe you didn't, but Alfred Brendel played his final coda, departing this life at age 94. My favorite quote from the linked article: "I have not been a child prodigy. My parents were not musicians - there was no music in the house. I have a good memory, but not a phenomenal one. I'm not a good sight reader. I'm completely at a loss to explain why I made it!" Rest in peace.

 

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Awww. He was a classy gent. (nt), posted on June 17, 2025 at 15:21:21
saintjean
Reviewer

Posts: 67
Location: RI
Joined: April 24, 2025
 nt

 

I think Earl Wild had a couple of sarcastic things to say about him! ;-), posted on June 17, 2025 at 16:13:49
Chris from Lafayette
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Posts: 28649
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 IMHO, Brendel certainly had his moments. I certainly like what I heard of his Beethoven Concerto set with Haitink and the LPO, and I found much of his recorded Liszt to be surprisingly satisfying (surprising because Brendel was not one of those rabble rousing virtuosos with transcendental technique). Never heard him live though. Brendel also wrote some interesting books on music - I read a couple of them, but not all. I even had his Vanguard set of the Chopin Polonaises - the one which Harris Goldsmith claimed was an interesting set to hear - once!

RIP.

 

RIP, posted on June 17, 2025 at 19:22:57
sser2
Audiophile

Posts: 2714
Location: Pittsburgh USA
Joined: July 30, 2003
 For me he is one of the few pianists well-attuned with Schubert. I still keep his old VOX LPs.

 

More. . . , posted on June 18, 2025 at 12:06:18
Chris from Lafayette
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Posts: 28649
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 This is what I'd call a semi-official statement on Brendel from various industry insiders (from Universal Music) who knew him and worked with him. One interesting anecdote involves Brendel's insistence that his producer ad some "fizz" to the digital sound to make it sound more analog. So I guess that put him in line with many inmates here on AA - LOL!





 

RE: Alfred Brendel, departed at age 94, posted on June 19, 2025 at 06:10:19
Jon E. Busey
Audiophile

Posts: 99
Location: the south
Joined: January 20, 2005
 Brendel was my first exposure to Beethoven's piano sonatas from my dad's lp collection. I remember being so mesmerized by his performance of the Waldstein sonata, I bought the sheet music and struggled to teach myself to play like he did.

No success there but still savor his mastery. RIP.

 

RE: Alfred Brendel, departed at age 94, posted on June 20, 2025 at 08:44:21
Todd Krieger
Audiophile

Posts: 37501
Location: SW United States
Joined: November 2, 2000
 I saw Brendel in the flesh at Severance Hall w the Cleveland Orchestra back in the early 1980s..... Couldn't say that the performances were memorable........

 

RE: Alfred Brendel, departed at age 94, posted on June 22, 2025 at 07:26:02
pbarach
Audiophile

Posts: 3509
Location: Ohio
Joined: June 22, 2008
 Well, Todd, what did he play? Who was conducting?

Are you familiar with Brendel's (huge) discography?



I recently heard an off-the-air recording of Brendel playing Mozart 25 with Akiyama conducting the Cleveland Orchestra. I don't know the date, but the performance was every bit as imaginative as his recordings of this piece. He recorded it at least 3x--with Angerer, Marriner, and Mackerras.

 

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