The great pianist Alfred Brendel has died, aged 94
Renowned pianist Alfred Brendel (born 5 January 1931) has died today, 17 June 2025, at the age of 94. Following studies with Edwin Fischer, Paul Baumgartner and Eduard Steuermann, the Czech-born Austrian pianist, writer and composer forged a formidable 60-year concert career, appearing regularly on the world's most important stages.
Brendel was particularly associated with the music of Beethoven, making the first complete recording of the composer's piano music, and also helped to highlight the importance of composers Haydn, Liszt and Schubert. His extensive discography is much admired, as are his numerous essays and poems, which have been published in multiple languages.
Remembering Alfred Brendel... a final interview
Here, we publish one of Alfred Brendel's final interviews in which he speaks about his duo partnership with legendary baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau...
A joy to play with - Alfred Brendel on Dietrich Fischer Dieskau
‘Dietrich Fischer-Dueskau and I performed our first Winterreise at New York’s Carnegie Hall, and it was virtually without rehearsal,’ remembers pianist Alfred Brendel. ‘Even at improvised performances, his command was impeccable. In our collaboration we were always partners, and it was mainly due to him that the perception of the “accompanist” that had still applied to Gerald Moore vanished.
‘Fischer-Dieskau was one of the very few singers who performed German lieder internationally in big, packed halls, his diction able to reach the last row. In lieder, the words should remain clearly articulated in the foreground – listen to the early recordings of Winterreise by Lotte Lehmann or Peter Anders from the mid-20th century: there is a “three-dimensional” quality in their diction.
‘Some of Schubert’s greatest creations point to an almost expressionist range. While some fine singers could suggest a continuous intimacy, Fischer-Dieskau at his best encompassed a world. I particularly remember our performance [of Winterreise] at Covent Garden for this comprehensiveness. He was phenomenal.’
Interview by Andrew Green