UKC

Pianist Alfred Brendel died on Tuesday at the age of 94.

I heard him play live only once, playing Beethoven's Emperor Concerto at the Albert Hall. He was no longer at the height of his formidable powers but it was still a pleasure to hear in the packed-out auditorium.

A few years later I was lucky enough to meet him in person at the Edinburgh Literature Festival and chatted briefly about being largely self-taught.

His farewell concert on Radio 3:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002d7gp

Bought my first Lp with Brendel playing Beethoven Piano Concerto no.3 in the late 60s played on a Garrard sp.25 deck, the standard student set-up at the time. A totally digital collection of his output today. It's always a joy to discover up and coming stars whenever they appear on the music scene. I believe his last live performances were nearly 15 years ago. Sad news but his legacy is his superb portfolio of work which will last whenever we want to indulge ourselves in great music.

Oh.

When someone I have admired who is so old dies, that I don't know personally, it makes me start but creates a warm feeling inside. I felt the same when Mandela died.

I never saw Brendel perform, but 'knew' him through my Dad's LPs, collected since the early 60s. I played his recording of the Hammerklavier sonata often, whichever one it was.

BBC Radio 3, Saturday morning - the Tom Service programme that starts at 9, included an extract from a 2015 interview between Tom and Brendel, circa 11:10am i.e. 2h10m into it. Tom said you can find the whole 45 interview somewhere in the archives. 

When I want to hear Schubert, I put on Brendel.

Yes. When I lived in Sheffield in the’90s I was lucky enough to hear Brendel play Schubert in the Crucible Studio (as it was called then). I was sitting about ten feet away from him. Unforgettable.  He just “got”  Schubert like no one else I’ve heard.