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Product Description
Review
Recorded in Hanover and Vienna as the culmination of extensive farewell tours in 2008, these CDs capture the last ever public performances of one of the greatest and most well-loved pianists of our time, Alfred Brendel.
A peerless exponent of Mozart’s concertos, the 77-year-old chose to bow out defiantly with the youthful K.271 (instead of, say, the more autumnal K.595). The impression left after Brendel’s final UK appearance, a month earlier with the same work and conductor, was of age-belying ebullience; this performance is more elegiac. This is partly because the plush Vienna Philharmonic doesn’t respond as incisively as the Philharmonia did to Charles Mackerras’s direction, but is probably due more to Brendel’s state of mind: almost every note seems filled with poignant retrospection. This is, unmistakably, a final performance – the distillation of a lifetime’s experience and devotion.
The outer movements may not be as lively as on Brendel’s 1970s Philips recording with Neville Mariner, but this mature interpretation has unparalleled depth. The central Andantino has a rare intensity (without being over-romanticised), and Brendel conjures tone of remarkable beauty. Most spine-tingling is the ethereal minuet at the heart of the finale, rendered as a sublime dance of the spheres. The Viennese audience is not the quietest, and it’s an effort not to be distracted by Brendel’s grunting – but the reward is well worth it.
His vocalisations are less obtrusive in Hanover, as is the audience. The characteristically well-planned recital showcases composers with which Brendel has closest affinity. Mozart’s Sonata K.533/494 – of which Brendel says, with typical wry humour, he has had a “long courtship” – is penetrative, insightful, and flawlessly fluid. Haydn's F minor Variations are imbued with quiet emotion, helped by a silken touch; Beethoven's Op.27/1 balances tranquillity, animation and power.
A Brendel speciality, Schubert's mammoth final Sonata is the most substantial work here, with a heart-wrenching slow movement at its core. Propelled with graceful momentum, this valedictory account is more commanding than even his own previous recordings. Clearly Brendel retired while still at the top of his game. He will be greatly missed by concert-goers; this release is a welcome coda to his towering recorded legacy. --Graham Rogers
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Brendel,
By Mr Swallow (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Alfred Brendel: The Farewell Concerts (Audio CD)
For people like me who have followed the career and recordings of Alfred Brendel, this is a wonderful souvenir of his last concerts. Most of us will have been unable to attend them, of course, but the recording speaks for itself. This was a great occasion of a great artist wisely retiring from concert giving while he still had plenty to offer. The performances are spellbinding - just listen to the Schubert - and are full of the joy of music making. You have to put up with many incidental noises from Brendel as he hums along Glenn Gould style, but so what? This is hors concours and a great final memorial to a great artist.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brendel's Farewell Concerts /2CDs,
By Fred K (St Helens UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Alfred Brendel: The Farewell Concerts (Audio CD)
While the Concert Hall sound quality is a little below studio recording level, Alfred Brendel's artistry seems undiminished, compared with recordings made nearly 40 years ago. It is wise to quit before the ability fades, as he has chosen to do.
Sir Charles Mackerras, who conducts, is equally indestructible. We saw him recently in a sparkling performance with the Liverpool Phil(our local heroes). On these two recordings, he and the Vienna Philharmonika complement Brendel beautifully, as we hoped they would.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Going out at the top,
By
This review is from: Alfred Brendel: The Farewell Concerts (Audio CD)
These were obviously very happy occasions and a wonderful way of bowing out for a great artist whilst still very much at the top of his game. It is also a very happy memory for me as I was privileged to attend his "rehearsal concerts" for these final concerts, with identical programmes, in the church at Chipping Campden. The Haydn, Beethoven and even the final Bach are all fine performances but, as ever, it is when Alfred turns his attention to Mozart - have the slow movements of the late sonata or of the first great concerto ever been better played? - and the sublime Schubert B flat Sonata and Impromptu that the playing reaches greatness. We shall miss you, Alfred, but this will be a wonderful memento.
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