# Great Pianists of the 20th Century – Alfred Brendel III

Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Alfred Brendel III is volume 14 of the Great Pianists of the 20th Century box set and is the third of three volumes dedicated to him. It features music by the composers Felix Mendelssohn, Carl Maria von Weber, Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, and Ferruccio Busoni. It was issued in CD format in 1999.

## Critical reception

The album was selected as one of the highlights of the 200-CD series by Rob Cowan of the Gramophone. He was particularly pleased with the 1986 live recording of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic, and described Brendel's rendition of Vallée d'Obermann as "one of the most inspired of his Liszt recordings."
It was also reviewed by Peter Burwasser in Fanfare. This critic was less pleased with the Brahms concerto recording, saying "this Brahms performance is a contrast of the straightforward, unsentimental, yet fully engaged and powerfully expressed playing of Brendel with the thick, bloated sound of the Berlin Philharmonic under Abbado." He much preferred Bernard Haitink's conducting in Liszt's Totentanz. He also notes that "Brendel's Chopin doesn't really work, although it is fascinating to hear what he makes of this music. This Chopin playing, even in one of the big polonaises, is too brusque and rhythmically unyielding, even as it is emotionally honest and bristling with energy."

## Track listing

All tracks are reissues from Philips Classics Records unless otherwise noted.
| Compact Disc 1 | Compact Disc 1 | Compact Disc 1 | 76:31 |
| Felix Mendelssohn: |||
| 1. | Variations sérieuses, Op. 54 | Variations sérieuses, Op. 54 | 10:32 |
| | (Recorded: The Maltings Snape, UK; July 1989) | (Recorded: The Maltings Snape, UK; July 1989) |
| Carl Maria von Weber: |||
| | Konzertstück in F minor, Op. 79 | Konzertstück in F minor, Op. 79 |
| 2. | | Larghetto affettuoso – Allegro passionato – | 9:51 |
| 3. | | Adagio – Tempo di Marcia – Più mosso – Presto giocoso | 7:32 |
| | London Symphony Orchestra; Claudio Abbado, conducting | London Symphony Orchestra; Claudio Abbado, conducting |
| | (Recorded: Town Hall, Watford, UK; June 1979) | (Recorded: Town Hall, Watford, UK; June 1979) |
| Johannes Brahms: |||
| | Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 | Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 |
| 4. | | 1. Maestoso – Poco più moderato | 22:39 |
| 5. | | 2. Adagio | 13:46 |
| 6. | | 3. Allegro non troppo | 12:11 |
| | Berliner Philharmoniker; Claudio Abbado, conducting | Berliner Philharmoniker; Claudio Abbado, conducting |
| | (Recorded: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin; September 1986) | (Recorded: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin; September 1986) |
| Compact Disc 2 | Compact Disc 2 | Compact Disc 2 | 72:22 |
| Frédéric Chopin: |||
| 1. | Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44 | Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44 | 11:22 |
| | (Recorded: April 1968; from Vanguard Classics, 1991) | (Recorded: April 1968; from Vanguard Classics, 1991) |
| Franz Liszt: |||
| 2. | Vallée d'Obermann | Vallée d'Obermann | 12:48 |
| | No. 6 from Années de Pèlerinage: Première année: Suisse | No. 6 from Années de Pèlerinage: Première année: Suisse |
| | (Recorded live: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; 1981) | (Recorded live: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; 1981) |
| 3. | Orage | Orage | 4:17 |
| | No. 5 from Années de Pèlerinage: Première année: Suisse | No. 5 from Années de Pèlerinage: Première année: Suisse |
| | (Recorded: Walthamstow, London; October 1986) | (Recorded: Walthamstow, London; October 1986) |
| 4. | Totentanz | Totentanz | 15:26 |
| | London Philharmonic Orchestra; Bernard Haitink, conducting | London Philharmonic Orchestra; Bernard Haitink, conducting |
| | (Recorded: Walthamstow, London; May 1972) | (Recorded: Walthamstow, London; May 1972) |
| 5. | Sposalizio | Sposalizio | 6:43 |
| | No. 1 from Années de Pèlerinage: Deuxième année: Italie | No. 1 from Années de Pèlerinage: Deuxième année: Italie |
| | (Recorded live: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; 1972; from BBC Records, 1985) | (Recorded live: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; 1972; from BBC Records, 1985) |
| 6. | Bagatelle sans tonalité | Bagatelle sans tonalité | 2:33 |
| | (Recorded live: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; 1972; from BBC Records, 1985) | (Recorded live: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; 1972; from BBC Records, 1985) |
| 7. | Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A minor "Rakoczy March" | Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A minor "Rakoczy March" | 5:33 |
| | (From Vanguard Classics, 1992) | (From Vanguard Classics, 1992) |
| 8. | La lugubre gondola No. 1 | La lugubre gondola No. 1 | 4:16 |
| | (Recorded: Town Hall, Watford, UK; June 1981) | (Recorded: Town Hall, Watford, UK; June 1981) |
| Ferruccio Busoni: |||
| 9. | Toccata | Toccata | 9:24 |
| | Preludio – Fantasia – Ciaccona | Preludio – Fantasia – Ciaccona |
| | (Recorded live: Großer Konzerthaussaal, Vienna; 1979) | (Recorded live: Großer Konzerthaussaal, Vienna; 1979) |