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
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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4; Piano Concerto No. 5 (Clemens Krauss: Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 2)
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Clemens Krauss
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" & Symphony No. 8
Wilhelm Backhaus, Bayerisches Staatsorchester , Hans Knappertsbusch
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Jan 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wilhelm Backhaus Plays Romantic Classics
Classical - Released by Bringins Music on Mar 10, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wilhelm Backhaus plays Ludwig van Beethoven
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on Apr 28, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111: II. Arietta. Adagio molto, semplice e cantabile
Classical - Released by The state51 Conspiracy Ltd on Apr 3, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 23 “Appassionata”, 24 “A Thérèse”, 25 & 26 “Les Adieux” (Mono Version)
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Mar 27, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1, Piano Concerto No. 2 (Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt Edition – Decca Recordings, Vol. 8)
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Piano G & T's, Vol. 4: Recordings from the Gramophone & Typewriter Era (1900-1908)
Louis Diemer, Ilona Eibenschütz, Josef Hofmann, Wilhelm Backhaus
Classical - Released by APR on Sep 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Master Of Music, Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5, Sonata No. 21 "Waldstein"
Wilhelm Backhaus, Franz Konwitschny, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classical - Released by Oscardigital on Jul 14, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Chopin, Vol. 8
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Arthur Rubinstein, Alfred Cortot, Wilhelm Backhaus
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Jan 24, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Piano Sonatas NOS. 14-17
Classical - Released by Altair on Sep 5, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wilhelm Backhaus plays Beethoven and Schumann
Concertos - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on Jun 30, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Condon Collection, Vol. 10: Original Piano Roll Recordings
Classical - Released by CONDON COLLECTION DIGITAL on Oct 6, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Classical - Released by Past Classics on Jul 2, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Works (Live in New York, 1954, 1956)
Wilhelm Backhaus, New York Philharmonic, Guido Cantelli
Classical - Released by Andromeda on May 30, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 (Live)
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch, Joseph Keilberth
Chamber Music - Released by Stradivarius on Sep 20, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Collection of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, vol. 16
Artur Schnabel, Yves Nat, Arthur Rubinstein, Wilhelm Backhaus, Walter Gieseking
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Nov 30, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 5-9 (Live)
Classical - Released by Altair on Jul 7, 2021
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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 1-4 (Live)
Classical - Released by Altair on Jul 7, 2021
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Schumann: Piano Concerto
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Günter Wand
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on May 8, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart & Beethoven: Piano Concertos
Wilhelm Backhaus, London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Municipal Orchestra, Landon Ronald, Fritz Zaun
Classical - Released by Archipel on Sep 18, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo