Time passes, and things change. Pianist Alfred Brendel no longer appears in live concerts. Imagine briefly how surprised I was to see him in a recorded concert with Martha Argerich and her friends. He was a page turner for one of the performers. But on this recording he is the STAR! This music was recorded before Brendel’s retirement in a performance with the Vienna Philharmonic.
The Schumann Piano Concerto requires virtually everything a pianist should have to offer: poetry, virtuosity, and tasteful space between the notes – Brendel passes the test on all accounts with his passionate, insightful and refreshing interpretation.
On this Schumann Piano Concerto performance, taken from Brendel’s 70th Birthday residency in 2001, with the inestimable partners in Sir Simon Rattle and the Wiener Philharmoniker, Alfred Brendel writes that “listening to this live recording I felt that, for once, I heard what I wanted to hear”.
Brahms’ “Handel” Variations are what many consider to be the most imposing piece of its kind composed in the four decades that separate it from Beethoven’s “Diabelli” Variations.
This work by Brahms offers us a wealth of different characteristics, color and masterful combinations. The Fugue in particular is something to marvel at with its fine pianistic power.
Alfred Brendel has never recorded the Brahms “Handel” Variations in the studio which makes this his first commercially available recording of the work.
Here is the opening of the Schumann Concerto for your enjoyment:
