Alfred Brendel: Says Goodybe in Style

The sad news is that Pianist Alfred Brendel, revered as a pronounced and personal voice of 20th century classical performance, has announced that he will be retiring from the stage this year. The good news, however, is that he will be doing so in style: First of all, there will be one last tour and a final chance to watch this outspoken and lucid-minded artist live. And secondly, Alfred Brendel will soften the impact of his departure with the release of an 8CD Box set containing some of the finest moments of his long career – selected by the man himself. As part of the „Artist's Choice“ series on Philips, the Austrian performer has been able to draw from an extensive catalogue of albums spanning decades of recording: „This new series by Philips is trying to sum up my career, albeit fragmentary“, Brendel stated, „Luckily for me, I recorded so much, which increases the chance of finding a cut in which you'll be able to recognise yourself as an artist.“ Brendel also emphasised the importance of a wide choice with regards to finding the ideal version of a particular piece. „On my CD featuring the d-minor Concerto by Brahms, for example, which I recorded with the Berlin Philharmonics and Claudio Abbado, the piano sounds as though it was placed amidst the orchestra – not in front of it. Fortunately, however, there's a perfectly balanced concert production realised with the Orchestra of the Bavarian Broadcasting Service under Sir Collin Davis – which is due to follow in a series of my favourite live recordings.“