News of the Brendel farewell
OrchestrasFrom Alfred Brendel’s former agency:
Stars of the classical music world will come together in London’s Barbican Hall on 5 January to celebrate the life of Alfred Brendel, on what would have been his 95th birthday.
Sir Simon Rattle will conduct an orchestra made up of Brendel’s musical friends, to be known as the Orchestra of the Day of EnBrendelment. Performers include his son Adrian Brendel, Till Fellner and Paul Lewis, as well as Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Lisa Batiashvili, Dame Imogen Cooper, Lucy Crowe, Tim Horton, Sir András Schiff, the Takács Quartet and Dame Harriet Walter.
The three-part programme reflects Brendel’s own musical passions, including movements of solo, orchestral and chamber works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt, among other composers. It ends with a complete performance of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, performed by Paul Lewis, who was mentored by Brendel.
The concert is co-produced by Maestro Arts and the Barbican, with proceeds going to Alfred Brendel Young Musician’s Trust.
Part One
Haydn Representation of Chaos from The Creation
Mozart Violin Concerto no.4 in D, Andante – Lisa Batiashvili, violin
Mozart Ch’io mi scordi di te for soprano, piano and orchestra K505 – Lucy Crowe, soprano; Imogen Cooper, piano
Haydn Symphony no.90 in C major, Allegro assai
Part Two
Haydn String Quartet in F major op.77 no. 2, Allegro Moderato – Takács Quartet
Schubert String Quintet in C major, Adagio – Takács Quartet and Adrian Brendel
Liszt Elegie II for cello and piano – Adrian Brendel, cello; Tim Horton, piano
Kagel Oath of Hippocrates for piano three hands – Sir Simon Rattle, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Tim Horton
Schubert Allegro in A minor for piano duet, ‘Lebensstürme’ – Paul Lewis and Till Fellner
J.S. Bach Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother BWV992 – Sir András Schiff
Part Three
Kagel Marches to Evade Victory for brass band
Brendel/Kurtág/Ligeti poems and piano – Dame Harriet Walter and Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Beethoven Piano Concerto no.3 in C minor – Paul Lewis
Quite the honor. Only a man of grace and caring inspires such devotion. Truly a classy thing to do.
Yes, and a wonderful programme of great artists.
I was lucky enough to pick up the Philips 114 cd ‘Big Box’ in a charity shop for a bargain price since its lid was missing. After Mr. Brendel died I spent the summer working my way through these 114 discs and found it to be a devastating experience!
Not a weak performance ever. The depth of his artistry was outstanding.
How wonderful for you, and a real bonus! Will take a third of a year on a one CD a day!
From a programming point of view, did the organisers take inspiration from Beethoven’s concert of 22 December 1808? Whether they did or not, it’s certainly an eclectic mix of amuse bouche and bleeding chunks.
Who’s the Kagel fan?
I hope these events are recorded and/or broadcast so that those unable to attend in person can experience the tribute to Mr. Brendel.