The composer and poet passed away peacefully on Monday in London, surrounded by loved ones, it was revealed.
Alfred Brendel, born on January 5, 1931, in former Czechoslovakia and later nationalized as Austrian, bid farewell to the stage in 2008 with a series of concerts that included Portugal, ending a career spanning over 60 years.
Brendel studied piano, composition, and conducting in Zagreb (Croatia) and Graz (Austria), launching his international career after being awarded at the Busoni Competition in 1949.
He was the first pianist to record the complete piano works of Beethoven and was highly praised for his interpretations of this composer as well as Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert.
Residing in London since the 1970s, Brendel received honorary degrees from several universities, including Oxford, Harvard, and Yale. In 1998, he was named an honorary member of the Vienna Philharmonic. In 2022, he was recognized with an honorary doctorate in Letters by the University of Lisbon.
During his farewell international tour in 2008, Alfred Brendel performed at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, presenting works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. That year, he received the Herbert von Karajan career award in Germany.
Despite retiring from the stage and experiencing progressive hearing loss, Alfred Brendel remained active in engaging with the public through music lectures and poetry readings.
The pianist was also an author of poetry and essays, showcasing not only his humor but extensive knowledge beyond music. His publications include the poetry book “One Finger Too Many,” the essay compilation “Music, Sense And Nonsense,” and “A Pianist’s A-Z.”
In 2021, Alfred Brendel was honored by the Festival dos Capuchos in Almada and was invited to the conference “My Musical Life,” focused on his artistic journey, with his son, cellist Adrian Brendel, in attendance.
