Wilhelm Backhaus
Wilhelm Backhaus was a German pianist known for his selfless dedication to the composers' intentions. Also a recording pioneer, his 1909 recording of Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto is the first known concerto recording. Backhaus was born on March 26, 1884 in Leipzig, Germany. His father was a successful architect, and his mother was an amateur pianist. He started learning the piano at the age of four, first from his mother, and then with Alois Reckendorf at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1891 to 1898. He studied with Eugen d'Albert for a year, and learned the rest on his own. In 1900 he enjoyed a very successful debut performance in England as part of his first tour, which established his reputation as a performer. Later, in 1905, he won the Rubinstein prize, competing against Béla Bartók who earned second place. He also began teaching at the Royal Manchester College of Music, but he never considered himself an educator. His first recording was for the HMV label in 1909 featuring Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, and this was also the very first recording of a concerto. He made several more recordings with HMV in London, but their association temporarily ceased in 1914 with the start of World War I. His American debut was in 1912, where he performed Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto at Carnegie Hall with the New York Symphony Orchestra led by Walter Damrosch. This was the beginning of a series of North American tours, and he continued touring in Europe and the Americas into the 1920s. He also resumed recording in 1916 with Polydor, and with HMV after the war ended in 1918. Backhaus accepted a teaching position at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia from 1925 to 1926, and then gradually moved back to Europe, eventually settling in Switzerland in 1930. He continued recording with HMV until 1947, and then worked with Decca. He made his final appearance in the U.S. in 1954 with a series of critically acclaimed recitals at Carnegie Hall featuring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. He kept practicing, performing, and recording until his death in 1969, when he was in Austria preparing for a performance. His recorded legacy includes Beethoven's complete sonatas and concertos, and the works of Bach, Mozart, Brahms, and many others. His premiere recording of Chopin's complete etudes from 1928 is still considered to be one of the best.
© RJ Lambert /TiVo
Ähnliche Künstler
-
Historical Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Wilhelm Backhaus, Karl Böhm, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Instrumentalmusik - Erschienen bei Urania Records am 01.09.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Backhaus Plays Beethoven
Wilhelm Backhaus, Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Sir Landon Ronald
Klassik - Erschienen bei Profil am 10.02.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart Recital
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 20.03.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 5, 6 & 7 (Mono Version)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 21.02.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BRAHMS: PIANO CONCERTO No.1, VARIATIONS ON AN ORIGINAL THEME, VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY PAGANINI , SCHERZO
Klassik - Erschienen bei Nar Classical am 13.09.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2 / Waltzes, Op. 39 (Backhaus) (1932-1939)
Wilhelm Backhaus, Saxon State Orchestra, Karl Böhm
Klassik - Erschienen bei Naxos am 01.08.2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 14-17 (Live)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Altair am 21.10.2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carnegie Hall Recital, 1954
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 23.01.1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 30, 31 & 32 (Mono Version)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 10.04.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: Piano Works
Klassik - Erschienen bei Archipel am 04.12.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pièces pour piano seul
Klassik - Erschienen bei Naxos am 20.06.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Clemens Krauss
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert / Schumann
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 13.03.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wilhelm Backhaus spielt Mozart
Klassik - Erschienen bei belvedere edition am 29.09.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Works (Live)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Archipel am 01.01.1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 15 “Pastorale”, 16, 17 “Tempest” & 18 (Mono Version)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 13.03.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert, Schumann & Beethoven: Piano Works
Klassik - Erschienen bei Archipel am 31.10.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin Recital
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 06.03.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo