Wilhelm Kempff
Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff was born in Jüterbog, Germany, on November 25, 1895. His father, also named Wilhelm Kempff, fame from a line of respected church organists, and first taught his son music and keyboard playing. Young Wilhelm had lessons with Ida Schmidt-Schlesike, then entered the Berlin Hochschule für Musik at the age of nine, to study composition with Robert Kahn and piano with Heinrich Barth. In 1914 he went to study at the Viktoriagymnasium in Potsdam, then returned to Berlin to continue his training at the Hochschule. He also entered the university, studying philosophy and music history. In 1916 he toured with the Berlin Cathedral Choir through Germany and Scandinavia, as pianist and organist. In 1917 he appeared at the Berlin Singakademie in a piano recital made of primarily of big works: Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata and Brahms' "Variations on a theme of Paganini." In 1918 he made his first concerto appearance with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, a venue where he would frequently appear over the years. With the end of World War I he was able to expand his career to an international stage. He maintained an impressive concert life over the next several decades, drawing acclaim from his appearances in Europe. South America, and Japan while becoming particularly treasured for his commanding performances of the central German Romantic piano classics from Beethoven to Brahms, plus Chopin. His career continued without interruption except for the years of World War II.
For some reason he put off performing in England and North America until late. His first London recital was not until 1951, and his American debut, in New York, was as late as 1964. Therefore it took the English-speaking world to catch up to what most of the rest of the world already recognized, which is that he was one of the most important and impressive performers in the Austro-German classic piano tradition. He also built an important presence as a teacher, particularly of accomplished students. He became director of the Stuttgart Hochschule für Musik from 1924 to 1929, and conducted master classes there. In 1931 he founded a summer course held at the Marmorpalais, Potsdam, also for master students, along with Edwin Fischer and Walter Gieseking. These lasted until 1941. Beginning in 1957 he directed Beethoven studies at Positano, Italy. As a performer he stressed lyricism, charm, and spontaneity in music, particularly effective in intimate pieces or passages. He always strove for a singing, lyrical quality, occasionally slipping into a slight degree of affectation in his phrasing. He avoided extreme tempos and display for its own sake. He left recordings of most of his repertory, including the complete sonatas of Beethoven and Schubert. He performed to an advanced age, often concertizing past his eightieth birthday. He appeared as a soloist in 1979 with the Berlin Philharmonic, marking an association with them that spanned over sixty years. He died in Positano on May 23, 1991, at the age of 95.
© Joseph Stevenson /TiVo
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Beethoven: The 32 Piano Sonatas
Solo Piano - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Sep 2, 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Sep 1, 1970
The Qobuz Essential Discography24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5
Wilhelm Kempff, Berliner Philharmoniker, Ferdinand Leitner
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Apr 7, 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Suite anglaise No.3, Caprice sur le départ de son frère bien-aimé BWV 922 / Transcriptions for Piano
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1976
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wilhelm Kempff Plays Bach. Transcriptions For Piano
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 8 & 24, Piano Sonata No. 11, Fantasia No. 3
Wilhelm Kempff, Bamberg Symphoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, Ferdinand Leitner
Classical - Released by Praga Digitals on Oct 1, 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart : Piano Concertos Nos.8, 23 & 24
Wilhelm Kempff, Bamberger Symphoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, Ferdinand Leitner
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1999
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Concerto Recordings : Beethoven - Mozart - Schumann - Brahms - Liszt
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Schumann & Schubert: Piano Works
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonatas (Complete Wartime 78-rpm Rec.)
Solo Piano - Released by APR on Nov 17, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Bach Recital (Mono recording)
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Aug 17, 2018
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Années de Pèlerinage, Italie (Excerpts); Gondoliera; Deux Légendes
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1975
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Cello Works
Pierre Fournier, Wilhelm Kempff
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Mar 1, 1966
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Schubert : The Piano Sonatas
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wilhelm Kempff (Vol.2). Chopin, Liszt, Mozart, Schubert, Bach...
Solo Piano - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig van Beethoven : The Piano Sonatas
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Années de pèlerinage; Légendes (Wilhelm Kempff: Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 8)
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on May 13, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms : Pièces pour piano op. 116, 117, 118, 119
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos.14 "Moonlight", 17 "Tempest" + 23 "Appasionata"
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos.8 "Pathétique", 14 "Moonlight", 15 "Pastorale" & 24
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The 10 Violin Sonatas (Remastered 2021)
Wilhelm Kempff, Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on Dec 18, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo