Alfred Brendel, one of the greatest pianists of our time, is renowned for his masterly interpretations of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt, and has been credited with rescuing from oblivion the piano music of Schubert’s last years. Far from having merely one string to his bow, however, Brendel is also one of the world’s most remarkable writers on music – possessed of the rare ability to bring the clarity and originality of expression that characterised his performances to the printed page. The definitive collection of his award-winning writings and essays, Music, Sense and Nonsense combines all of his work originally published in his two classic books, Musical Thoughts and Afterthoughts and Music Sounded Out, along with significant new material on a lifetime of recording, performance habits and reflections on life and art. As well as providing stimulating reading, this new edition provides a unique insight into the exceptional mind of one of the outstanding musicians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Whether discussing Bach or Beethoven, Schubert or Schoenberg, Brendel’s reflections are illuminating and challenging, a treasure for the specialist and the music lover alike.
About the author
Alfred Brendel studied piano and composition in Zagreb and Graz, completing his piano studies with Edwin Fischer, Paul Baumgartner and Eduard Steuermann. For sixty years he enjoyed a distinguished international career, concentrating on the works of central European composers, performing regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. His final concert appearance was with the Vienna Philharmonic on 18 December 2008, which was voted one of the 100 greatest cultural moments of the decade by the Daily Telegraph. Besides music, literature has remained Brendel’s foremost interest and second occupation. As well as three volumes of collected essays, there are also multiple collections of poems, two of which, One Finger Too Many and Cursing Bagels, appeared in the Faber Poetry Series. A bilingual edition of collected poems, Playing the Human Game, was published in 2010. Brendel continues to give lectures, poetry readings and masterclasses throughout the world and, having lived in Vienna for twenty years, has made his home in London since 1970.
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