Wilhelm Kempff (25 November 1895 – 23 May 1991) was a German pianist and co… Read Full Bio ↴Wilhelm Kempff (25 November 1895 – 23 May 1991) was a German pianist and composer.
Kempff was born in Jüterbog, Germany and studied in Berlin and Potsdam. He toured widely throughout continental Europe and much of the rest of the world, but did not make his first London appearance until 1951, and did not play in New York until 1964. He gave his last public performance in Paris in 1981 and died in Positano, Italy at the age of 95.
Considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, Kempff is celebrated today for his recordings of Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, Mozart, Bach, Liszt, Chopin and particularly, of Ludwig van Beethoven. He recorded over a period of some sixty years. Kempff was among the first to record the complete sonatas of Franz Schubert, long before these works became popular. He also recorded two celebrated sets of the complete Beethoven sonatas, one in mono and the other in early stereo.
Kempff also played chamber music with Yehudi Menuhin and Pierre Fournier, among others. Particularly famous are the recordings of the complete Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano with Menuhin.
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.
A lesser-known activity of Kempff was composing. He composed for almost every genre and used his own cadenzas for Beethoven's Piano Concertos 1-4. His second symphony was premiered in 1929 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus by Wilhelm Furtwängler. He also prepared a number of Bach transcriptions, including the Siciliano from the Flute Sonata in E, which has been recorded by the pianist İdil Biret.
Kempff was born in Jüterbog, Germany and studied in Berlin and Potsdam. He toured widely throughout continental Europe and much of the rest of the world, but did not make his first London appearance until 1951, and did not play in New York until 1964. He gave his last public performance in Paris in 1981 and died in Positano, Italy at the age of 95.
Considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, Kempff is celebrated today for his recordings of Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, Mozart, Bach, Liszt, Chopin and particularly, of Ludwig van Beethoven. He recorded over a period of some sixty years. Kempff was among the first to record the complete sonatas of Franz Schubert, long before these works became popular. He also recorded two celebrated sets of the complete Beethoven sonatas, one in mono and the other in early stereo.
Kempff also played chamber music with Yehudi Menuhin and Pierre Fournier, among others. Particularly famous are the recordings of the complete Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano with Menuhin.
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.
A lesser-known activity of Kempff was composing. He composed for almost every genre and used his own cadenzas for Beethoven's Piano Concertos 1-4. His second symphony was premiered in 1929 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus by Wilhelm Furtwängler. He also prepared a number of Bach transcriptions, including the Siciliano from the Flute Sonata in E, which has been recorded by the pianist İdil Biret.
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01Beethoven - Klaviersonate Nr. 14 ces-moll Op. 27 Nr. 2 "Mondschein": 1. Adagio sostenuto5:45Wilhelm Kempff
02Beethoven - Klaviersonate Nr. 14 ces-moll Op. 27 Nr. 2 "Mondschein": 2. Allegretto2:20Wilhelm Kempff
03Beethoven - Klaviersonate Nr. 14 ces-moll Op. 27 Nr. 2 "Mondschein": 3. Presto agitato5:44Wilhelm Kempff
04Beethoven - Klaviersonate Nr. 8 c-moll Op. 13 "Pathétique": 1. Grave - Allegro di moto e con brio7:22Wilhelm Kempff
08Beethoven - Klaviersonate Nr. 23 f-moll Op. 57 "Appassionata": II. Andante con moto - Attacca5:57Wilhelm Kempff
09Beethoven - Klaviersonate Nr. 23 f-moll Op. 57 "Appassionata": III. Allegro ma non troppo - Presto8:45Wilhelm Kempff
13Beethoven - Pièces de clavecin Livre III [1722]: 14. Ordre, ré majeur et mineur: 6. Le Carillon de Cithère4:50Wilhelm Kempff
14Beethoven - Pièces de clavecin 1724: I. Suite en mi mineur: 5. Le rappel des oiseaux3:27Wilhelm Kempff
17Brahms - Klaviersonate Nr. 3 f-moll Op. 5, 1853: II. Andante: Andante espressivo - Poco più lento - Andante molto - Adagio10:20Wilhelm Kempff
18Brahms - Klaviersonate Nr. 3 f-moll Op. 5, 1853: III. Scherzo: Allegro energico - Trio4:51Wilhelm Kempff
19Brahms - Klaviersonate Nr. 3 f-moll Op. 5, 1853: IV. Intermezzo (Rückblick): Andante molto3:02Wilhelm Kempff
20Brahms - Klaviersonate Nr. 3 f-moll Op. 5, 1853: V. Finale: Allegro moderato ma rubato - Più mosso - Presto - Tempo I7:29Wilhelm Kempff
21Brahms - Klavierstücke Op. 76: I. Heft: Nr. 1 Capriccio fis-moll 1871: Un poco agitato3:04Wilhelm Kempff
22Brahms - Klavierstücke Op. 76: I. Heft: Nr. 2 Capriccio b-moll 1878: Allegretto non troppo3:32Wilhelm Kempff
24Brahms - Klavierstücke Op. 76: I. Heft: Nr. 4 Intermezzo B-dur c1878: Allegro grazioso2:31Wilhelm Kempff
25Brahms - Klavierstücke Op. 76: II. Heft: Nr. 5 Capriccio cis-moll 1878: Agiato ma non troppo presto3:23Wilhelm Kempff
26Brahms - Klavierstücke Op. 76: II. Heft: Nr. 6 Intermezzo A-dur 1878: Andante con moto3:40Wilhelm Kempff
27Brahms - Klavierstücke Op. 76: II. Heft: Nr. 7 Intermezzo a-moll 1878: Moderato semplice3:02Wilhelm Kempff
28Brahms - Klavierstücke Op. 76: II. Heft: Nr. 8 Capriccio C-dur 1878: Grazioso ed un poco vivace3:43Wilhelm Kempff
34Schumann - Fantasia In C Major, Op. 17 - 3. Langsam Getragen. Durchweg Leise Zu Halten - Etwas Bewegter10:22Wilhelm Kempff
35Schumann - Fantasia In C Major, Op. 17 - 2. MaBig. Durchaus Energisch - Etwas Langsamer - Viel Bewegter8:14Wilhelm Kempff
36Schumann - Fantasia In C Major, Op. 17 - 1. Durchaus Phantastisch Und Leidenschaftlich Vorztragen - Im Legendenton - Tempo Primo11:29Wilhelm Kempff
38Schumann - Symphonische Etüden Op. 13, 1834–37: 13. Etüde XII: Finale: Allegro brillante6:16Wilhelm Kempff
54Brahms - Zwei Rhapsodien Op. 79, 1879: Nr. 2 Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro g-moll7:30Wilhelm Kempff
59Brahms - Fantasien Op. 116, c1892: Nr. 5 Intermezzo: Andante con grazia ed intimissimo sentimento3:09Wilhelm Kempff
63Brahms - Intermezzi Op. 117, 1892: Nr. 2 Andante non troppo e con molto espressione b-moll4:17Wilhelm Kempff
65Brahms - Clavierstücke Op. 118, 1892: Nr. 1 Intermezzo a-moll: Allegro non assai2:06Wilhelm Kempff
66Brahms - Clavierstücke Op. 118, 1892: Nr. 2 Intermezzo A-dur: Andante teneramente4:28Wilhelm Kempff
68Brahms - Clavierstücke Op. 118, 1892: Nr. 4 Intermezzo f-moll: Allegretto un poco agitato2:49Wilhelm Kempff
70Brahms - Clavierstücke Op. 118, 1892: Nr. 6 Intermezzo es-moll: Andante, Largo e mesto4:54Wilhelm Kempff
72Brahms - Clavierstücke Op. 119, c1893: Nr. 2 Intermezzo e-moll: Andantino un poco agitato5:01Wilhelm Kempff
73Brahms - Clavierstücke Op. 119, c1893: Nr. 3 Intermezzo C-dur: Grazioso e giocoso1:47Wilhelm Kempff
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