Wilhelm Kempff

[Dr. Dread]

Who were his teachers? Who were his students? Which recordings do you enjoy?

Thank you, GMGers.

[aquablob]

Nice avatar

[Dr. Dread]

 

[Todd]

Which recordings do you enjoy?

Don't know much about his teachers and students (though I do know John O'Conor studied with him), but I do know which recordings of his I like: pretty much all of them.  Sure, his output varies in quality, but his mono LvB sonata and piano concerto cycles, his stereo LvB G Major, his mono Schumann and Brahms recordings, his Schubert (the DG as well as the one Decca recording I've heard), his Bach recordings (excluding his Goldbergs), his Mozart, and his various live recordings, well, all are indispensable for me.

[Dr. Dread]

Don't know much about his teachers and students (though I do know John O'Conor studied with him), but I do know which recordings of his I like: pretty much all of them.  Sure, his output varies in quality, but his mono LvB sonata and piano concerto cycles, his stereo LvB G Major, his mono Schumann and Brahms recordings, his Schubert (the DG as well as the one Decca recording I've heard), his Bach recordings (excluding his Goldbergs), his Mozart, and his various live recordings, well, all are indispensable for me.

Ah, it's good to know I can't lose with his recordings. Thanks, Todd.

[Renfield]

Ah, it's good to know I can't lose with his recordings.

I'll second that view, on who is, after all, my favourite pianist.

(Yes, more than Richter, though he comes close. )


His intelligence, his musicianship, and in the end of the day his art demand to be heard. *pounds Karl's table*

Everything Todd mentioned above I heartily second as recommendations; and even though I can see many reasons they might not be recommendable, even his Goldbergs are a cherished piano recording in my collection.

[Dr. Dread]

I have his Schubert sonatas (on DG) and a disc of Brahms and I love them both.  0:)  Also the LvB cello/piano music with Fournier.

And I FINALLY just ordered the mono LvB sonatas after years of dilly-dallying.  0:)

[Todd]

And I FINALLY just ordered the mono LvB sonatas after years of dilly-dallying.

It's about time.

[Dr. Dread]

It's about time.

I know, right? 

[Dr. Dread]

From Wiki:

"In 1957 Kempff began to give an annual Beethoven interpretation course in his villa in Positano. Six years after his death, friend and former student John O'Conor took over the course. Other noted pianists to have studied with Kempff include Mitsuko Uchida, Angela Hewitt, Peter Schmalfuss, Idil Biret, Carmen Piazzini, and Gerhard Oppitz."

[Renfield]

Re his teachers, I am aware of him relating how the "lineage" of his piano-playing goes back to Beethoven himself (in response to someone accusing him of interpretatively misreading the piano sonatas). It was a whole list of names, none of which I remember.

[Todd]

How could I forget Peter Schmalfuss?

[Dr. Dread]

How could I forget Peter Schmalfuss?

Are you being sarcastic? Because I never heard of the guy. 

[Todd]

Are you being sarcastic?

I don't know.

[springrite]

How could I forget Peter Schmalfuss?

How could you remember Peter Schumalfuss?

[Todd]

How could you remember Peter Schumalfuss?

Clearly it's the Schumalfuss part.

[jwinter]

I definitely enjoy all of the Kempff that I have -- primarily the mono Beethoven sonatas, PCs with van Kempen, and Schubert.  All near the top for me.

If you'd care to see him at work, this is also a nifty DVD:



Sounds like I may need to check out more of his Bach -- the only disc I have is his Goldbergs.  Any recommendations on that front?  Don't suppose he recorded the WTC?

[Todd]

Sounds like I may need to check out more of his Bach -- the only disc I have is his Goldbergs.  Any recommendations on that front?

There are a couple of Eloquence discs floating around with excerpts from the WTC (he didn't record the whole thing) and some other works.  I don't think he recorded anything else by Bach, though I could be wrong.

 

[aquablob]

Not sure how exhaustive this discography is, but I thought I'd link it anyway:

http://www.panix.com/~checker/kempff.htm

[Holden]

One of his main teachers was the legendary (for a number of reasons and not all good) Heinrich Barth, who also worked with a young Artur Rubinstein for a while. His father was his first teacher (a la Richter).