Watch: Wilhelm Kempff, 75, reimagines Mozart

Watch: Wilhelm Kempff, 75, reimagines Mozart

Daily Comfort Zone

norman lebrecht

May 24, 2024

Extraordinary footage from 1970 of the German pianist at his most organic.

 

Comments

  • Antwerp Smerle says:

    Kempff plays beautifully, but I was disconcerted by the fact that a few bars are missing from the orchestral introduction. I count myself lucky to have heard him play Op. 111 in London in the 70s.

  • David Rowe says:

    Truly sublime…wishing Mozart could have heard it!

  • henry williams says:

    who is the conductor and
    orchestra.

  • Jake Keller says:

    Thank you. What a great way to start the day!

  • Laurence says:

    What wonderful timing and phrasing – thanks for sharing

  • John Dalkas says:

    Exquisite. Thank you for posting!

  • Fabio Luisi says:

    So refreshing….. the art of reducing, simplifying, and looking for the essence. A skill almost forgotten today.

  • Guido de Arezzo says:

    Unhurried. Humble virtuosity. Nice balances. Wish I could hear the entire concerto performance.

  • Pedro says:

    Mozart’s 488 and 491 by Kempff was one of the first LP I bought when I was 13. I cherish it since then, more than 50 years ago. One of the best Mozart recordings along with 466 by Curzon/Britten and 595 with Guilels and Böhm. The Gieseking/Karajan pair are also at the very top level.

  • DevonJot says:

    I doubt he ever used the term “reimagining”

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