Alfred Brendel’s accomplishments as an interpreter of the great composers have earned him a place among the world’s most revered musicians. He is the first pianist to have recorded all of Beethoven’s piano compositions and one of the few to have recorded the complete Mozart piano concertos. Brendel is also well versed in the fields of literature, language, architecture, and film. A frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books, his own books include Alfred Brendel on Music; Ausgerechnet Ich (Me Of All People); and several volumes of poetry, including One Finger Too Many.

Brendel has performed with virtually all leading orchestras and conductors, including the Boston Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony (with Daniel Barenboim conducting), and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has been awarded the Leonie Sonning Prize, the Furtwängler Prize for Musical Interpretation, the Robert Schumann Prize, and the Ernst von Siemens Prize. In 1989 he was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

Mr. Brendel’s talk was moderated by Anthony J. Cascardi, Townsend Center Director. Biographical information has been adapted from Colbert Artists Management.