Claudio Arrau
Claudio Arrau ( born February 6, 1903 in Chillán, Chile, † June 9, 1991 in Mürzzuschlag, Austria ) was a Chilean pianist.
Life
Claudio Arrau was the youngest of three children of the spouses Dr. Don Carlos and Lucretia Leon de Arrau. His mother, who was already 43 years old when he was born, gave piano lessons. His father, who worked as an ophthalmologist in Chillán, came from a horse accident when his son Claudio was a year old.
The age of five Claudio Arrau made her first appearance in public. A scholarship from the Chilean government allowed him in 1913 to continue his studies in Berlin at the Stern Conservatory. His teacher Martin Krause, one of the last pupils of Franz Liszt, Arrau taught not only, but replaced him also died young father and made sure that Arrau received a comprehensive education. When Arrau was 15 years old, died Martin Krause. Out of respect for his teacher and his gegründetem on Liszt's teaching lessons, he refused any other piano teachers and perfected his technical and musical mastery from there alone. Around 1919 he met in Berlin the 13 -year-old pianist Grete Sultan, with whom he had a life-long, close friendship.
After an American tour 1923/24, Arrau fell into a deep human crisis and piano, which he slowly overcame with the help of the analyst Dr. Abrahamson in Berlin. From 1925 to 1940 he was a professor at the Stern Conservatory; 1926 made his first recordings in 1928 he gave his first concert with the Berlin Philharmonic. In the years 1935-1937 he led the pianistic complete works of Bach, Mozart and Schubert concert series. In 1937 he married the Frankfurt mezzo-soprano Ruth Schneider, with whom he had three children.
During the Second World War (1940 /41) Arrau emigrated to the United States. In the following decades he toured all over the world and gave more than 100 concerts per year. In 1967, he called the Claudio Arrau - Foundation into life, the young musician supports. Arrau died at the age of 88 years in the Austrian Miirzzuschlag, where he was to open the Johannes-Brahms- Museum with a concert.
Claudio Arrau was a highly educated and well-read man who was interested in besides music for many cultural and intellectual currents.
Repertoire
In 80 years of piano virtuosity to Arrau developed a vast repertoire that included classical and romantic and impressionist composers. Arrau was one of the first pianists who complete works aufführten and recordings. He was of the opinion that one should always play all the works of the cycle. Arrau was also set to no musical era. A musician has to interpret all great music well, and pianists who commit to a particular era, were amateurs. His interpretations of Beethoven's sonatas are as famous and respected as his recordings of works by Franz Liszt and Claude Debussy. The French writer Julien Green called Claudio Arrau as the greatest interpreter of the works of Robert Schumann.
Arrau was throughout his career always teaching; testifies a large number of students (including Charles Robert Kreiten, Donald Sutherland, Rafael de Silva, Roberto Szidon, Garrick Ohlsson, Greville Rothon, Philip Lorenz and Wolfgang Leibnitz ).
Recordings
From his many recordings protrude out the following:
- Albéniz: Iberia ( various labels )
- Bach: Goldberg Variations (RCA)
- Beethoven: The 32 Piano Sonatas (Philips Classics )
- Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5 with Sir Colin Davis and the Dresden Staatskapelle (Philips Classics )
- Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 with Carlo Maria Giulini and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London (EMI )
- Chopin: 24 Études (EMI )
- Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 with Eliahu Inbal and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Philips Classics )
- Chopin: Nocturnes (Philips Classics )
- Chopin: Waltz (Philips Classics )
- Chopin: 26 Preludes, 4 Impromptus (Philips Classics )
- Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor (Philips Classics )
- Liszt: Etudes d' exécution transcendante (Philips Classics )
- Mozart: The Piano Sonatas (Philips Classics )
- Schumann: among others, Carnaval, Davidsbündlertänze, Night Pieces (Philips Classics )
- Debussy: Preludes (Philips Classics )
Arrau was at Edition Peters the Beethoven piano sonatas as Urtextausgabe out. Own fingerings give insight into Arrau's understanding of the works.