Alfred Brendel

Franz Schubert's Last Three Piano Sonatas

Alfred Brendel, one of the greatest of all pianists, plays and reflects on Franz Schubert’s last three piano sonatas. As he points out, Schubert can’t have known that he was soon to die, so they probably do not embody the air of resignation and finality future generations have sentimentally insisted they bear. They were however long neglected, all but forgotten, and only in more recent times have they come to be treasured and performed. The repose and wisdom of the maestro, together with the patient observation of one who is no stranger to the idea of the irrevocably lost, of the erasures of history, and of the value of fragile objects passed carefully from generation to generation, is a joy.

Pianomania

Pianomania takes the audience on a humorous journey through the secret world of sound and accompanies Stefan Knüpfer in his extraordinary work with the greatest pianists in the world. To select the instrument that corresponds to the vision of the virtuoso, according it to his desire and accompany him until he goes on stage, Stefan Knüpfer has developed nerves of steel, a boundless passion and above ability to translate words into sounds.

Liszt Annees de Pelerinage

Certainly Brendel plays these pieces beautifully. He never overstates, which is lovely. Best of all, they remind me that they (for my money) are the best of the Liszt keyboard compositions. It is good to see the ease with which he plays. No flash, just wonderfully constructed music. They remind me of the same expert expression the composer brought to his Petrach songs.

Claudio Abbado und Alfred Brendel - Beethovens Klavierkonzert Nr. 3 und Bruckners Sinfonie Nr. 7

Competently as usual and with a lot of visinary energy, Claudio Abbado conducted his LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA at the opening of LUCERNE FESTIVAL, SOMMER 2005. The programm included Beethoven's impressive Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, with Alfred Brendel as soloist and, as the very heart of the opening programme of SOMMER 2005, Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.

ALFRED BRENDEL (CLASSIC ARCHIVE)

ALFRED BRENDEL, EMI CLASSICS (CLASSIC ARCHIVE), BEETHOVEN SONATA OP. 106, BAGATELLES

Schubert Final Three Piano Sonatas D958, D959, D960 - Alfred Brendel

Alfred Brendel and Claudio Abbado @ Lucerne Festival 2005

A tribute to the great Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel, who died at the age of 94 on 17 June 2025. An acclaimed performer of Beethoven, he leaves behind him a musical legacy spanning more than sixty years. His performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 at Lucerne in 2005 was a highlight of the festival, conducted by Claudio Abbado, another icon of classical music.

Alfred Brendel Plays and Introduces Schubert

Keen to dispel some long-held misconceptions about the compositions of Franz Schubert, renowned Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel uses words and music to make his case in this third volume of his engaging performance series. Here, Brendel offers brilliantly nuanced performances and insightful musical analysis of the revered Romantic composer's Sonata in G Major, D. 894, and Impromptus D. 899 and D. 935.

The Alchemy of the Piano

When the pianist Francesco Piemontesi hears an unreleased recording of the pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, it comes as a shock to him. This freedom of playing, these colors and nuances, this virtuosity, which is always presented with a smile, overwhelms him. He decides to explore what he believes he is hearing here: the alchemy of the piano.