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Wilhelm Kempf

Wilhelm Kempf (November 25, 1895 - May 23, 1991), German pianist and composer, born in Germany Teberg, studied under H. Barth and R. Kahn.

In 1916, the 21-year-old Kempf had already gained fame as a piano master. In the 1920s, he served as the principal of the Stuttgart Higher Music School. He is one of the most important performers of Beethoven and Schubert piano music in the 20th century. Since 1916, he has established his reputation as a master piano player, mainly working with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1924 to 1929, he served as principal of the Higher Music School in Stuttgart.

Chinese name: Wilhelm Kempff

Foreign name: Wilhelm Kempff

Nationality: Germany

Birthplace: East Prussia Borg

Date of birth: November 25, 1895

Date of death: May 23, 1991

Occupation: pianist, organist

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Graduation institution: University of Berlin

Representative work: "Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas"

Gender: Male

Personal profile

Wilhelm Kempf (1895-1995) German pianist, organist, and composer. Born on November 25, 1895 in Jüterbog, East Prussia, into a musical family. His father was the royal music director and the organist of St. Nicholas Church in Potsdam. He was also captain of the Potsdam court orchestra. When Kempf was a child, he was inspired to start piano lessons after hearing Scottish pianist Frederick Lamond play Beethoven. He was taught piano by his father since he was a child, and entered the Berlin Higher Music School at the age of 9. Barth and Kempf's fathers together persuaded the young musician to also learn composition, so he studied composition with Robert Kahn (Kahn's former teacher). from Brahms). In 1914 he went to study at the Victoria Preparatory School in Potsdam, and later returned to Berlin to study music history and philosophy at the Hochschule für Musik. He studied piano and composition with Bartow and Kahn respectively.

Later, he studied philosophy and music history at the University of Berlin. In 1916, he played both piano and organ in his first performance. In 1917, he received the Mendelssohn Prize for Piano and Composition from the City of Berlin for his piano performance and composition. In 1918, he performed for the first time with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Before World War II, he performed all over the world, including Europe, South America and Japan. After the war, he performed in London in 1951 and in New York in 1964. In the last few years of his performance career, his repertoire focused mostly on German classical and romantic works. He was considered a representative figure of contemporary German pianists, interpreting the piano works of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms. authority. In addition to solo performances, Kempf also participates in chamber music performances, often collaborating with Menuhin, Xie Lin and Rostropovich. He is also engaged in teaching and creation. From 1931 to 1941, he served as a professor in the summer advanced class in Potsdam with Edwin Fischer and others. After the war, he also hosted a lecture on Beethoven's piano works. Many outstanding pianists of the later generations received his guidance, including the outstanding The pianist is Mitsuko Uchida. Kempf died in Positano, Italy on May 23, 1991.

Kempf was also an outstanding teacher. From 1924 to 1929, he served as the principal of the Stuttgart Higher Music School and led the advanced piano class. After the end of World War II, Kempf was respected as a representative figure of contemporary German pianists and became an authoritative performer of the piano works of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. His performance is subtle and delicate, with a clear texture, cordial and noble tone; the tone is cantabile, the phrasing and speed are natural and reasonable, and there is no tendency to be artificial or to pursue external effects. He has recorded all the piano sonatas of Beethoven and Schubert and piano works of other composers, and edited and published a selection of Schumann's piano works. As a composer, he composed operas, ballets, symphonies, chamber music, works for piano and organ.

Works

Selected recordings of Wilhelm Kempf's works:

DG Bach: Prelude to the Canticle, etc.

DG Beethoven : Five Piano Concertos (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)

DG Beethoven: Complete Sonatas

DG Beethoven: Complete Violin Sonatas

DG Beethoven: Ghosts Trio, Grand Duke Trio

DG Schubert: The Last Five Sonatas

DG Schumann: Piano Concerto, Childhood Scenes, Carnival (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra)

< p>Chinese name: "Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas" Works of William Kempf

Career

One of the most important pianists of the 20th century, William Kempf, Beethoven felt warmth in his works, while many others only experienced tension and passion. As with works from the LATE CLASSICAL and early and mid-Romantic eras, Kempf created an elegant, approachable effect without ever losing sight of the rigor at the heart of the music. His lofty musical ideas can be seen everywhere, and he has bright charm, mellow legato and rich timbre.

In addition, he is also a composer who has written two symphonies, four operas, as well as some songs and piano solo works. Before Kempf entered Berlin's Hochschulefür Musik to study at the age of 9, he was taught privately by his father (a musician in a Lutheran church). In 1914, Kempf went to the Viktoriagymnasium in Potsdam for further study, and later returned to Berlin to complete his studies at the Hochschule, and then entered university. When he was 20 years old, he toured Germany and Scandinavia as an organist and pianist with the Berlin Cathedral Orchestra. A successful concert at the Singakademie in Berlin in 1917 directly led to Kempf signing a contract with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the following years. It was also the beginning of countless future collaborations with this formidable orchestra. During the 1920-1930 period, he went to South America, Japan and some European countries to perform, which made his firm musical character and personal interpretation style famous. At the same time, he served as director of the Stuttgart Music School from 1924 to 1929, and then as piano instructor at Potsdam's Mamorpalais in the first decade of World War II. The war limited his activities to Germany, but after the end of World War II, Kempf resumed his busy playing schedule.

Kempf became known to people in Britain and the United States only relatively late. In London, the public (including a large portion of German immigrants) applauded his debut there in 1951. It was not until 1964 that he began to rise to prominence in New York, although his previous recordings with DG had already demonstrated the high level of his playing to Americans. He gave his last public performance in Paris in 1981.

In fact, Kempf’s long-term and extensive cooperation with DG has brought a large number of attractive recordings to the market, including the famous Beethoven piano concertos and sonatas; as well as relaxed but worth savoring, Beethoven's violin sonatas with Schneiderhan; ??and some works by Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, and Brahms. He also collaborated with Menuhin and Fournier to perform chamber music. The most famous one is the complete set of Beethoven's violin-piano sonatas recorded with Menuhin.

Beginning in 1957, Kempf began holding an annual Beethoven performance season at his villa in Positano. Six years after his death, the event was taken over by his friend (and former student) John O'Conor. He is less well known as a composer than as a brilliant pianist. He can compose almost every style of music. His Second Symphony premiered in 1929 at the eipzig Gewandhaus, conducted by Furtw?ngler. He also arranged many Bach repertoire, including a Sicilian Dance excerpted from the Flute Sonata in E major, which was recorded by pianist Idil Biret.

Introduction to the main works

Basic information

Chinese name: "Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas"

English name: KlaviersonatenCompleteBeethovenEdition

Resource type: APE

Version: 64-65DG version

Album singer: Wilhelm Kempff

Region: Mainland

Language: Other

Introduction to works

Wilhelm Kempff Wilhelm Kempff is a German pianist, composer and educator. At the age of 9, he entered the Berlin Higher Music School to study piano and composition. Later, in addition to studying music, he also studied philosophy and music history at the University of Berlin. At the age of 21, he toured Germany and Northern Europe as a pianist and organist; at the age of 22, he held a piano recital and won the Mendelssohn Piano and Composition Award in the same year; at the age of 23, he performed as a piano soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In the next 30 years, he toured Europe, South America and Japan, giving recitals in London in 1951 and New York in 1964.