Alfred Brendel: Star pianist dies at the age of 94

He was known as one of the world's most important pianists: Alfred Brendel (1931-2025) died on Tuesday at the age of 94. According to the BBC , his representatives confirmed that he passed away peacefully on June 17 in his adopted home of London, surrounded by his loved ones.

In a statement, the broadcaster said that Brendel "will be remembered by his family and celebrated with deep gratitude." The statement mentioned "his partner Maria Majno, Irene Brendel, his children Doris, Adrian, Sophie, and Katharina, and his four grandchildren."

The virtuoso was born in 1931 in Wiesenberg in what is now the Czech Republic. Unlike other successful musicians, no one in his family was musical, and he was no so-called child prodigy. At the age of six, Brendel received his first piano lessons at a school in Zagreb. He later studied at the Graz Conservatory.

His education ended at the age of 16, and he perfected his piano skills primarily through self-study. At the age of 17, he gave his first public concert in Graz. "A teacher can be too influential," he once said, according to the report. "As an autodidact, I learned to distrust everything I hadn't figured out for myself."

Back problems and hearing loss

In 1971, Brendel, considered unpretentious, moved to London. Back problems later hampered his piano playing. However, this is said to have given him an appreciation for the less physically demanding works of Bach and Schumann. In 2008, the award-winning pianist retired from the concert stage and devoted himself to his second passion: poetry.

Shortly thereafter , according to a 2021 DW report, Brendel reportedly suffered acute hearing loss and was only able to hear distorted sounds since then. Alfred Brendel subsequently traveled extensively, giving lectures on music or reading from one of his books, among other things.

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