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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Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonaten
Symphonic Music - Released by Bella Musica Edition on Jan 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 - Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
Classical - Released by Urania on May 6, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.1, OP. 15 - Diabelli Variations, OP. 120
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Keyboard Concertos - Released by Altair on Sep 23, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms: Dos Sonatas para Cello y Piano
Pierre Fournier, Wilhelm Backhaus
Chamber Music - Released by RHI on Dec 29, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Collection of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, vol. 10
Walter Gieseking, Artur Schnabel, Wilhelm Backhaus, Yves Nat, Arthur Rubinstein
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Nov 28, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Wilhelm Backhaus. Piano Music from the Golden Age
Classical - Released by Novus Promusica on Oct 26, 2023
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Carl Schuricht : Beethoven ● Mozart ● Mendelssohn
Wilhelm Backhaus, Carl Schuricht, Orchestra RTSI
Classical - Released by Ermitage Records on Apr 5, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor" (Live)
Wilhelm Backhaus, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Joseph Keilberth
Classical - Released by SWR Mediaservices GmbH on Dec 1, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor" (Studio Recording)
Wilhelm Backhaus, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Sir Georg Solti
Classical - Released by Artemisia on Sep 1, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Collection of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, vol. 2
Wilhelm Backhaus, Yves Nat, Artur Schnabel, Walter Gieseking
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Nov 13, 2023
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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 27-29 (Live)
Classical - Released by Altair on Oct 22, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Live Concerts: Carnegie Hall, 1954 & Lugano, 1953
Classical - Released by Urania on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 19, 20, 21 “Waldstein”, 22, 23 “Appasionata” & 24 (Stereo Version)
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jun 26, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wilhelm Backhaus Performs Original Piano Works
Classical - Released by Torill Music on Aug 30, 2019
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Beethoven: Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: I. Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo
Classical - Released by The state51 Conspiracy Ltd on Apr 3, 2020
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Beethoven 250 Piano Concertos 1 and 3
Classical - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on Feb 21, 2020
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Collection of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, vol. 9
Yves Nat, Artur Schnabel, Walter Gieseking, Wilhelm Backhaus
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Nov 27, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Collection of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, vol. 11
Artur Schnabel, Walter Gieseking, Yves Nat, Wilhelm Backhaus
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Nov 28, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, vol. 9
Artur Schnabel, Edwin Fischer, Wilhelm Backhaus, Walter Susskind, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Mar 5, 2024
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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 18-22 (Live)
Classical - Released by Altair on Oct 22, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 (Live)
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana, Carl Schuricht
Classical - Released by Archipel on Jan 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo