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: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" (Stereo Version)
Wilhelm Kempff, Ferdinand Leitner, Berliner Philharmoniker
Miscellaneous - Lançado por BNF Collection em 01/01/1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1; Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3; Violin Sonata No. 9 'Kreutzer' (Wilhelm Kempff: Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 13)
Wilhelm Kempff, Pablo Casals, Paul Grümmer, Georg Kulenkampff
Classical - Lançado por Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. em 13/05/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kempff plays Liszt
Solo Piano - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 01/01/2014
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Carnaval Op.9; Davidsbündlertänze Op.6; Papillons Op.2
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/01/2001
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Late Piano Sonatas
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 13/09/2019
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Goldberg Variations
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/09/1970
A discografia ideal da QobuzQualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1; Piano Concerto No. 2 (Wilhelm Kempff: Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 9)
Wilhelm Kempff, London Symphony Orchestra, Anatole Fistoulari
Classical - Lançado por Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. em 13/05/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3; Ballade No. 3; Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante; Fantaisie; Polonaise-fantaisie (Wilhelm Kempff: Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 7)
Classical - Lançado por Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. em 13/05/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig van Beethoven : The 32 Piano Sonatas
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/01/1965
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 16; Piano Sonata No. 21 (Wilhelm Kempff: Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 4)
Classical - Lançado por Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. em 13/05/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Piano Performances: The Best of DG Originals
Martha Argerich, Wilhelm Kempff, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 29/03/2005
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Piano Sonata in B flat D 960; Moments musicaux D 780
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/01/2000
A discografia ideal da QobuzQualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kempff plays Brahms
Johannes Brahms, Wilhelm Kempff
Classical - Lançado por UME - Global Clearing House em 21/11/2020
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Four Ballades, Op. 10; Eight Piano Pieces, Op. 76; Rhapsodies, Op. 79; Intermezzi, Op. 117 (Wilhelm Kempff: Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 11)
Classical - Lançado por Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. em 13/05/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kempff: Rare Recordings (1936-1945)
Anonyme, Wilhelm Kempff, Leipzig Grosses Radio Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, Hans Weisbach, Peter Raabe
Classical - Lançado por Music and Arts Programs of America em 02/05/2012
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
101 Classics: Kempff plays Schumann
Classical - Lançado por UME - Global Clearing House em 25/11/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Music for Cello and Piano
Pierre Fournier, Wilhelm Kempff
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/03/1966
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas - "Hammerklavier", "Waldstein", "Les Adieux"
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/01/2013
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Träumerei
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/01/1988
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
NKB SP Selection No. 11, Great Player 9
Wilhelm Kempff, Szymon Goldberg
Classical - Lançado por NKB Record em 25/08/2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Für Elise
Wilhelm Kempff, Emil Gilels, Anatol Ugorski, Gianluca Cascioli
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/01/2007
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo