# Brendel: The Classical Take on Beethoven



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I much appreciate what Brendel brought to Beethoven, relying on the restraint of the classical era in his performances of Beethoven's piano works. 

His recordings of the Sonatas and five Piano Concertos is nothing short of amazing to these ears. Anyone else love him?


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

I never understood why he was considered a "Mozartean". His performances of Mozart always seemed somewhat "dry" to me. For years he was my _go to_ pianist for the Beethoven Sonatas and I very much still like his Schubert.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

vtpoet said:


> I never understood why he was considered a "Mozartean". His performances of Mozart always seemed somewhat "dry" to me. For years he was my _go to_ pianist for the Beethoven Sonatas and I very much still like his Schubert.


His Haydn is pretty nice, though I'm not a fan of the works.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Captainnumber36 said:


> His Haydn is pretty nice, though I'm not a fan of the works.


Agreed. I've also always liked his Haydn. It's easy to make Haydn's piano sonatas sound trivial, and he never does.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

vtpoet said:


> Agreed. I've also always liked his Haydn. It's easy to make Haydn's piano sonatas sound trivial, and he never does.


I do like Haydn in the right hands. Usually any composer in the right hands is splendid, typically.


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

I have his Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Liszt recordings (among others). I like his Mozart and Schubert most. His mid to late Beethoven and Liszt, though full of details and timbre change, are a bit too restraint considering the context of the works and the ways the two composers played the instrument.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Bruckner Anton said:


> I have his Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Liszt recordings (among others). I like his Mozart and Schubert most. His mid to late Beethoven and Liszt, though full of details and timbre change, are a bit too restraint considering the context of the works and the ways the two composers played the instrument.


I don't like hearing bombastic fortissimos on the piano.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I much appreciate what Brendel brought to Beethoven, relying on the restraint of the classical era in his performances of Beethoven's piano works.
> 
> His recordings of the Sonatas and five Piano Concertos is nothing short of amazing to these ears. Anyone else love him?


Dou you like all his cycles, he did recorded theme at least 3 times.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Rogerx said:


> Dou you like all his cycles, he did recorded theme at least 3 times.


This is the one I've spent most time with.

https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Co...1640752453&sprefix=brendel+bee,aps,107&sr=8-1


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Captainnumber36 said:


> This is the one I've spent most time with.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Co...1640752453&sprefix=brendel+bee,aps,107&sr=8-1


That 's a fine set , if you have time try the Rattle cycle, sounds almost as other music.


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Brendels time is great on pieces like the finale of op27 no 1 or the Emperor cto - dont know of a pianist that plays better in the pocket on these works


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

He should have done more things like the Schoenberg Concerto or the Berg Sonata. It`s like he got confused and chose the wrong Viennese School at the beginning of his career then got along with it. I also don`t understand why he didn`t play more chamber stuff, he could have been a good match for Brahms chamber works for example. So I think he is (was?) a pianist of merit but he didn`t play the things he ought to play and vice versa...


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I find Brendel a bit of a mixed bag. Of what I heard, I tend to prefer his Mozart (concertos with Marriner) and Haydn (except for the lame c minor sonata) to Schubert and Beethoven. Some of the latter is very good, others rather lackluster. I have not heard all of it, of course, but e.g. the Beethoven op.90 from the 1970s cycle (which was among the most famous and best distributed when I began listening to classical in the late 1980s) is totally lame and I find the late sonatas from these recordings also not up with the best.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Brendel's one of my favorite pianists. He's the best Haydn and Schubert pianist I ever heard, and his Beethoven/Liszt/Mozart is close to the best.


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

Bulldog said:


> Brendel's one of my favorite pianists. He's the best Haydn and Schubert pianist I ever heard, and his Beethoven/Liszt/Mozart is close to the best.


The exact words I would have used.

Brendel's Schubert is unbelievably colourful, orchestral even. The Late Beethoven Piano Sonatas (Philips) is the most frequently listened album in our home. Has been for 15 years.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

vtpoet said:


> I never understood why he was considered a "Mozartean". His performances of Mozart always seemed somewhat "dry" to me. For years he was my _go to_ pianist for the Beethoven Sonatas and I very much still like his Schubert.


Dry in what way? Brendel never favored a juicy overly resonant tone. He played more like a precision jeweler who had the best cut stones beautifully arranged, not necessarily the biggest rock in the room. Or to butcher another metaphor, an icon painter, not a fresco artist. Yet his playing is filled with wit and always illuminates the structure of the work. He also is a master of the "big moment" the notion that most pieces point towards one central climax. So if you are looking for the opulence of Arrau or Horowitz, you won't find it.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

Waehnen said:


> The exact words I would have used.
> 
> Brendel's Schubert is unbelievably colourful, orchestral even. The Late Beethoven Piano Sonatas (Philips) is the most frequently listened album in our home. Has been for 15 years.


I play the last 3 Schubert Sonatas recording frequently, last about 3 days ago. I also like his Liszt, and I generally don't like that composer


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I have the big Brendel box and have been playing it a great deal since I purchased it. I had bought his Vox recordings in the mid seventies but generally didn't buy the Phillips recordings, with a few exceptions, when they were released. One reason was that for a good chunk of that time I didn't have any money for full priced recordings, but I also was put off by his frequent duplications of repertoire, and also as I discovered many other pianists Brendel's smallish tone just wasn't my cup of tea. The big box was an opportunity to rediscover Brendel and even the works that he recorded 3 and 4 times are fascinating in listening to his evolution of thought


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

When he was in the mood, he could give an amazing concert, really good rapport with the audience and tremendous sense of commitment to the music. I remember a midnight recital of the Diabelli Variations in a little church in Edinburgh. In the festival, I remember going straight from a Parsifal, right across the city, a fair old walk, to the church to hear the Beethoven. There's a live recording of the Hammerklavier which captures this feeling a bit, from Vienna I think.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Bulldog said:


> Brendel's one of my favorite pianists. He's the best Haydn and Schubert pianist I ever heard, and his Beethoven/Liszt/Mozart is close to the best.


Agree with this 100%. His technique and control over the instrument are impeccable.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Triplets said:


> I have the big Brendel box and have been playing it a great deal since I purchased it. I had bought his Vox recordings in the mid seventies but generally didn't buy the Phillips recordings, with a few exceptions, when they were released. One reason was that for a good chunk of that time I didn't have any money for full priced recordings, but I also was put off by his frequent duplications of repertoire, and also as I discovered many other pianists Brendel's smallish tone just wasn't my cup of tea. The big box was an opportunity to rediscover Brendel and even the works that he recorded 3 and 4 times are fascinating in listening to his evolution of thought


It's true that he didn't/doesn't make the piano roar as others sometimes do, but that tone of his is incredibly penetrating. I heard him live playing Beethoven 1 and 4 once and the smallest passing note was clearly audible throughout the hall.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Triplets said:


> Dry in what way?


That's just my subjective impression of his Mozart. I never cottoned it it, much preferring Perahia when his complete piano concerti first became available. Perahia seemed much better at capturing Mozart's elegance. But that was then. These days I prefer my Mozart on the pianoforte.


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## Michael122 (Sep 16, 2021)

+1, for the Perahia sentiment in Post #22.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

I find Brendel a bit bloodless in the more dramatic Beethoven sonatas.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

For some reason, and for years, I thought it was Brendel who had played the Beethoven passages during the Charlie Brown episodes (when Schroeder was playing).


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

To my ears, I have always found Brendel to be in the ‘journeyman’ category: perfectly capable, but lacking in depth of tone and interpretation in the bigger (think Beethoven) works.


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

For me, best Beethoven pianists are Arrau, Brendel and Gilels. But only Brendel has been able to convince me of a work I have previously not liked too much.

For example most pianist exaggerate the arpeggios in the Sonata Apassionata as though the arpeggios in themselves were somehow interesting. Brendel has unsurpassable taste in putting every gesture in their own place. The arpeggios just transmit the chord through a tremolous texture — and that’s it. It is not Liszt or Chopin! All of a sudden I finally start to appreciate the Grand F-minor Sonata.

There were times when I felt Hammerklavier Sonata was all over the place. Then my Classical Random Play played both the 2nd and 4th Movement. For the first time I thought: how come all this all of a sudden works? It was Brendel. After all the other Hammerklavier versions it was a bliss! (I had even deleted the 2nd Movement played by Gilels.)

Brendel for the definite interpretations and superb musical taste, always! Gilels for the Golden Sound and velvety pianissimos! Arrau for the keyboard poetry!


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

My introduction to the Beethoven sonatas came by way of Brendel, the featured pianist in the giant 21 vinyl records box set from Murray Hill (S-3456), a collection I acquired in my youth and have cherished for years.









I've since picked up the big _Complete Vox, Turnabout And Vanguard Solo Recordings_ Brilliant Classics box which duplicates the Murray Hill analog records with digital transfers,









and continue to enjoy these 1950s and '60s recordings.

But I also picked up Brendel's 1970s recordings on the Philips label









so it's obvious that Brendel suits me when I'm in a mood for a Beethoven sonata. There may be other readings that offer more in various ways, including improved modern sound, but one won't do wrong if one of the Brendel boxes is his sole pathway into the musical world of Ludwig van.

Brendel works for me.


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

I heard Brendel live in concert on Sept 26 1971 playing an all Beethoven recital. What sticks in my mind is that the last work was the Hammerklavier. It was absolutely mesmerising, in the Adagio you could have heard a pin drop in the audience. This was about three years after his Voxbox complete PS set was released. For this reason I prefer the Vox recordings over the other two.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Waehnen said:


> For example most pianist exaggerate the arpeggios in the Sonata Apassionata as though the arpeggios in themselves were somehow interesting. Brendel has unsurpassable taste in putting every gesture in their own place. The arpeggios just transmit the chord through a tremolous texture - and that's it. It is not Liszt or Chopin! All of a sudden I finally start to appreciate the Grand F-minor Sonata.


I had specifically the Appassionata in mind when I said Brendel's Beethoven can be bloodless. I'm not sure what arpeggios you're referring to, but if you mean in the development of the first movement and especially the climactic retransition, then "just transmit[ting] the chord through a tremulous texture" is not enough (Well, apparently it's enough for Brendel). I think Beethoven was calling for power and fury beyond the capabilities of the piano on which he composed it and it should sound more raw and intense than anything by Liszt or Chopin.


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

EdwardBast said:


> I had specifically the Appassionata in mind when I said Brendel's Beethoven can be bloodless. I'm not sure what arpeggios you're referring to, but if you mean in the development of the first movement and especially the climactic retransition, then "just transmit[ting] the chord through a tremulous texture" is not enough (Well, apparently it's enough for Brendel). I think Beethoven was calling for power and fury beyond the capabilities of the piano on which he composed it and it should sound more raw and intense than anything by Liszt or Chopin.


Wonderful how different we are! Brendel Apassionata is just about the only Apassionata I am able to live with and even enjoy!


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Holden4th said:


> I heard Brendel live in concert on Sept 26 1971 playing an all Beethoven recital. What sticks in my mind is that the last work was the Hammerklavier. It was absolutely mesmerising, in the Adagio you could have heard a pin drop in the audience. This was about three years after his Voxbox complete PS set was released. For this reason I prefer the Vox recordings over the other two.


I can say something similar. I heard Brendel in the mid-60es live in four recitals playing 16 Beethoven sonatas in all. I was very young and didn't know all these sonatas at the time, and I became probably somewhat biased as I ever since have had a weak spot for his contemporary Vox Bethoven recordings, which I also prefer to his two later recordings. My go to Beethoven sonata interpreter is BTW Kempff, whom I also have heard live playing Beethoven sonatas about the same time - maybe I also became biased there.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Indeed, there's quite a variety between his various recordings of the same works. I generally like his Liszt, though it's spanning many decades, whereas I prefer his middle and later recordings of Beethoven. Beethoven's 3rd Concerto with Haitink has been one of my favourites, but it's been a long time since I heard it. Overall, I prefer other pianists in Beethoven though. Some of the Schubert and Mozart is also to my taste (the analogue _Moments Musicaux/Drei Klavierstücke_, for example).


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## Bernamej (Feb 24, 2014)

Brendel never uses cheap tricks, cheats or splashy effects. Everything he does is ultra controlled and carefully volontary.
The absolute opposite pf Argerich, that I can’t stand (except in Rach 3).


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## Wigmar (8 mo ago)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I much appreciate what Brendel brought to Beethoven, relying on the restraint of the classical era in his performances of Beethoven's piano works.
> 
> His recordings of the Sonatas and five Piano Concertos is nothing short of amazing to these ears. Anyone else love him?


I have many recordings with Brendel: 
Haydn: piano sonatas
Mozart: piano concerti & sonatas 
Beethoven: piano concerti & sonatas
Schubert: piano sonatas & other piano works
Brahms: piano concertos
Brendel is one of my favourite interpreters, and I have attended the concert hall twice to hear him play. Indeed memorable events 🎼


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I'm moving more into Pascal Roge as a favorite now, though. I like what he does with the lush, pretty melodies he tends to record.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

I had the pleasure of hearing Brendel in person in a recital that included a Beethoven sonata. I certainly consider him one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters, and a great pianist in general.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Going back


fluteman said:


> I had the pleasure of hearing Brendel in person in a recital that included a Beethoven sonata. I certainly consider him one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters, and a great pianist in general.


I do enjoy his Beethoven too and consider him my favorite take still. I did get into Kempff for a bit, but have come back to the more even tempered Brendel.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'm moving more into Pascal Roge as a favorite now, though. I like what he does with the lush, pretty melodies he tends to record.


Help me out please, did Roge recorded Beethoven sonatas or do you mean in general?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I meant his focus on Impressionist and Les Six works.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I meant his focus on Impressionist and Les Six works.


I agree re Pascal Roge. As for Beethoven, my vintage favorites include Schnabel, Moiseiwitsch, Backhaus and Gulda, and also, though I am biased as he was a family friend and his wife was my first piano teacher when I was a little 'un, Ernst Levy, who recorded some of the late sonatas during his time in the US, where he lived for nearly 25 years. I have a couple of his LPs, and there are also CDs but those are OOP and hard to find. More recent recordings are too numerous to count, much less listen to or discuss. I like the Stephen Kovacevich Beethoven set, though he hardly counts as recent at this point.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Brendel shared a kind of musical sobriety reminiscent of Kempff and Solomon, two other great Beethoven pianists from his earliest years. He eschewed just about anything showy and was at the service of the music.

I saw him perform once. He played a piece few knew; when it ended no one applauded. He simply moved onto whatever was next on the program after a brief pause. He was the antithesis of the Lisztian pianist.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

larold said:


> He was the antithesis of the Lisztian pianist.


Alfred Brendel on Liszt - YouTube


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

EdwardBast said:


> I find Brendel a bit bloodless in the more dramatic Beethoven sonatas.



I remember hearing this live Hammerklavier for the first time on the radio in the car. I don't much care for the music normally, so I'm hardly very familiar with what other musicians have made of it, but for some reason I thought this was so good I stopped the car to listen properly. It's probably just the mood I was in rather than anything interesting in the performance. 

Beethoven sonata 29 op.106 (Hammerklavier) Brendel - YouTube

One piece by Beethoven I've explored a little more is The Diabelli Variations, and there I think Brendel's multiple recordings are quite valuable, and each quite different from each other. This is the one which caught my imagination most.

33 Piano Variations In C, Op. 120 On A Waltz By Anton Diabelli: Variation II (Poco allegro) • Ludwig van Beethoven, Alfred Brendel (spotify.com)


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

As much as I love Brendel, this woud be my dessert island set .


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