Wilhe;m Kempff

At his 1962 recital in Schwetzingen, Wilhelm Kempff demonstrated his unique ability to embed searching, dreamy piano music within his wider repertoire, mindful of its demands for fine, stylistic gradations. With his Schwetzingen programme, he stepped outside the safe territory of works by composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, which were usually expected by concert organisers and audiences alike. The opening pieces are likely to surprise even those familiar with Kempff as a performer of wide-ranging piano repertoire. Rarely heard miniatures by Jean Philippe Rameau and François Couperin, forgotten by most soloists, teachers and their students, highlight Kempff s versatility and his engaging handling of colours, even on French territory.

Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff was a German pianist and composer. Although his repertoire included Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Brahms, Kempff was particularly well known for his interpretations of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, recording the complete sonatas of both composers. He is considered to have been one of the chief exponents of the Germanic tradition during the 20th century and one of the greatest pianists of all time.

"Pierre Fournier’s 1965 collaboration with Wilhelm Kempff yielded one of the greatest complete recordings of the Beethoven cello sonatas. Their account of Op. 69 epitomises the nobility and eloquence of these unparalleled interpretations, and CD transfers are remarkably spacious and detailed." (Michael Jameson, BBC Music Magazine)

Wilhelm Kempff Il s’inscrit dans la liste de ces artistes du 20ème siècle pour lesquels la musique avait une dimension sacrée, voire philosophique et spirituelle. D’ailleurs, Wilhelm Kempff a fait des études de philosophie parallèlement à la musique. Organiste dans sa jeunesse, il reste un des plus grands interprètes de Beethoven et de Schubert, sans que ces deux compositeurs ne l’empêchent d’aborder un vaste répertoire. Il est également un compositeur d’envergue dans le prolongement esthétique de Brahms, souvent teinté d’un humour délicieux, dont 4 opéras, 2 concertos pour piano, deux symphonies (dont une créée par Furtwängler), un oratorio, de nombreuses œuvres pour piano et ses fameuses transcriptions de Bach.

ARPCD 0896 HD Mastering 2025.

Gramophone review, Nov 1974:

Menuhin and Kempff seem in just about total agreement about how to play these sonatas: with enough attack to project their dramatic moments in a domestic context, and with enough repose to show their lyrical moments in the very best of lights.