Wilhelm Kempff
German pianist renowned for his lyrical interpretations of Beethoven and Schubert, and a leading figure of the Germanic tradition.
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Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff (1895–1991) was a German pianist, teacher and composer.[1] He was particularly known for his interpretations of Beethoven and Schubert, recording the complete sonatas of both composers.[1]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 25 November 1895, Jüterbog, Brandenburg
- Died
- 23 May 1991, Positano, Italy
- Field
- Pianist
- teacher
- composer
- Nationality
- German
- Known for
- Interpretations of Beethoven and Schubert; complete recordings of their sonatas
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
He died in Positano, Italy, in 1991 at age 95.[2] Kempff recorded over 60 years, leaving a legacy including works of Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, Mozart, Bach, Liszt, Chopin and Beethoven.[2] After initial instruction from his father, at nine years old he began his musical education at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik.[2] At that institution, Robert Kahn taught him composition and Karl Heinrich Barth instructed him in piano.[2]
Between 1936 and 1979 he visited Japan on ten occasions to perform.[2]
What the cited sources add
Olivier's account states that after January 1933, Kempff became an ambassador-pianist for the new Nazi government.[3] Lebrecht writes that Kempff performed for Nazi leaders a few short miles from Auschwitz.[4] Olivier notes that Kempff was the fruit of a Lutheran education devoted to Prussian military values and the greatness of German music.[3] Lebrecht describes Kempff as the pre-eminent German pianist on record in the 20th century.[4]
Olivier states that Kempff triumphed in France from the 1950s to the 1990s, disguising himself as a lamb for reconciliation.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Wilhelm Kempff" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Wilhelm Kempff Is Dead at 95", The New York Times, 25 May 1991; Schubert, Complete Piano Sonatas, 9-LP set Deutsche Grammophon 1976, one of a number of boxed sets issued under the title Hommage à Wilhelm Kempff to celebrate ; Kaiser, Joachim; Wooldridge, David, translator; Unwin, George, translator (1971). Great Pianists of Our Time. New York: Herder and Herder. . An entire chapter i (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wilhelm Kempff" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Wilhelm Kempff Is Dead at 95", The New York Times, 25 May 1991 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Olivier, "Classical music under the Third Reich and the legacy of the great Nazi performers", K-larevue.com, 8 December 2022. facts only, no text reused. k-larevue.com
- Lebrecht, "The Emperor's old clothes", Slippeddisc.com, 18 June 2020. facts only, no text reused. slippedisc.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Wilhelm Kempff (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Wilhelm Kempff (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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