Album

What makes Alfred Brendel Alfred Brendel? What are the defining characteristics of his playing that make him the instantly recognizable piano virtuoso he is? Is it his prodigious intellect or his ability to comprehend all the aspects of the score at once? Is it his rigorous interpretations and his ability to include all aspects of the score in a single unity? Is it his brilliant lucidity or his ability to express all aspects of the score with precisely the correct balance, depth, and light? Is it his clarion tone or his ability to articulate all aspects of the score with a touch as deliberately and precisely deployed as a nuclear missile?

Is at least part of what makes Alfred Brendel Alfred Brendel the sound of his recordings? It could be. For all the distinctiveness of his playing, at least part of what makes Brendel instantly recognizable is the quality of Philips' piano sound, that clear and crystalline sound that puts the piano right in the room with the listener. And, speaking of which, at least a part of what makes Alfred Brendel Alfred Brendel is the sound of his piano, a Steinway voiced bright, clear, deep, and colorful and balanced so that the top rings, the middle sings, and the bottom resound like bells. With choice performances selected from Brendel's vast discography—his astounding recording of Schumann's Fantasiestücke, Op. 12, may be the single standout here, but they are all amazing—this two-disc set will serve as a fine introduction to the inimitable artistry of Alfred Brendel.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 2
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D-, BWV903 Work Alfred Brendel Piano
1	Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D-, BWV903	13:05			$2.49
(Franz) Joseph Haydn Composer Keyboard Sonata in C, Hob.XVI:50 (No.60) Work 18:18 Alfred Brendel Piano
2	1.Allegro	10:05			$1.99
3	2.Adagio	5:52			$0.99
4	3.Finale: Allegro molto	2:21			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Fantasia in C-, K.396 (fragment) Work Alfred Brendel Piano
5	Fantasia in C-, K.396 (fragment)	11:41			$1.99
Franz Peter Schubert Composer 3 Klavierstücke, D.946 Work Alfred Brendel Piano
6	No.2 in Eb: Allegretto	9:36			$1.49
Franz Liszt Composer Nuages gris (Trübe Wolken), S.199 Work Alfred Brendel Piano
7	Nuages gris (Trübe Wolken), S.199	2:26			$0.99
Franz Liszt Composer En rêve (Nocturne), S.207, R.87 Work Alfred Brendel Piano
8	En rêve (Nocturne), S.207, R.87	2:14			$0.99
Franz Liszt Composer R.W. Venezia, S.201 Work Alfred Brendel Piano
9	R.W. Venezia, S.201	2:33			$0.99
Franz Liszt Composer Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage), S.160-163, R.10a-e Work Alfred Brendel Piano
10	2nd Year ('Italie'), S.161	15:33			$2.49
CD 2 of 2
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Sonata No.23 in F-, Op.57 ('Appassionata') Work 24:41 Alfred Brendel Piano
1	1.Allegro assai	10:02			$1.99
2	2.Andante con moto (attaca)	6:10			$0.99
3	3.Allegro ma non troppo	8:29			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Bagatelle in A- ('Für Elise'), WoO59 Work Alfred Brendel Piano
4	Bagatelle in A- ('Für Elise'), WoO59	3:28			$0.99
Robert Alexander Schumann Composer Fantasiestücke, Op.12 Work 27:36 Alfred Brendel Piano
5	1.Des Abends: Sehr innig zu spielen	3:41			$0.99
6	2.Aufschwung: Sehr rasch	3:13			$0.99
7	3.Warum?: Langsam und zart	2:22			$0.99
8	4.Grillen: Mit Humor	3:10			$0.99
9	5.In der Nacht: Mit Leidenschaft	4:06			$0.99
10	6.Fabel: Langsam. Schnell	2:54			$0.99
11	7.Traumes Wirren: Äußerst lebhaft	2:35			$0.99
12	8.Ende vom Lied: Mit gutem Humor (Epilogue)	5:35			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Piano Sonata No.10 in C, K.330 Work 19:15 Alfred Brendel Piano
13	1.Allegro moderato	7:00			$1.49
14	2.Andante cantabile	5:58			$0.99
15	3.Allegretto	6:17			$0.99