Claudio Arrau

Claudio Arrau (born with Chillán, Chile, the February 6th 1903 - died with Mürzzuschlag, Austria the June 9th 1991) was a Pianiste Chile in.

Having begun like Child prodigy as of age the four years, he knew one of the most admired longest careers and classical music. It was a specialist in the romantic music (in particular of Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt, but also of Ludwig van Beethoven), which he interpreted with nobility and depth, though sometimes with a certain stiffness.

Recognized like Child prodigy, the young person Claudio Arrau obtains a purse to go to study with Berlin with Martin Krause, one of the last pupils of Franz Liszt. This one will play for the Arrau young person much more than the role of a simple pedagog. He will be, actually a true father of substitution. Exceeding the simple field of the music, Krause will be also that which will initiate Claudio Arrau with the Peinture and with the Littérature. Arrau will remain all its life marked by the teaching of Krause and with the death of this one, when Arrau is yet only 16 years old, it decides not to follow more of another teaching. Having followed all its years a formation highly impressed of Germanic culture, Arrau was a long time regarded as a German pianist more South American. From there, also, a predilection for the German type-setters of which it will be made a speciality (Brahms, Schumann, Beethoven) and whose it will record the majority of works.

For as much, its repertory is not only limited to the 19th century. He is also a remarkable interpreter of Chopin but also of the type-setters of the 20th century like Claude Debussy. Considering the extent of his repertory, one can regard it as a true encyclopedist of the Piano. The discography of the artist alas gives only very little an account of its affinities with the modern music, since if Arrau is interpreter of the baroques (Bach), of the traditional (Mozart), of the romantic (Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms), of the modern (Debussy), it is it also of Schönberg…

Beginning its career in the Thirties, it gives in a cycle, in Berlin the integral of the quite moderate keyboard of Bach. Competition at that time is particularly hard. Backhaus, Kempff, inter alia, plays already the first parts.

Its interpretation of the sonata of Franz Liszt, of the Night of Chopin, the Ballades of Johannes Brahms or of the Prélude S of Claude Debussy is, still today, of the references discographics. At the end of its life, it was related to a contract with the editor of Philips discs.

The play of Arrau is characterized first of all by a scrupulous respect of the text. It will rise in particular against the fact that the type-setter and pianist Sergueï Rachmaninov have, in one of its recordings, modified the partition of the second sonata for piano of Chopin. For as much, it can make breathe the text and its interpretations are models of art to make sound and to stamp the piano. Yielding it of nothing to the virtuosos keyboard such Horowitz, its direct technique, heritage of the technique of Liszt, fact wonder in the most difficult works of the repertory such as the variations Paganini of Brahms. Pianist with the metaphysical poetic idiom, distressed artist (champion of the treatments of Psychoanalysis), it had this velvet touch which several pianists envied to him. Its leonine “leg” showed a dazzling dynamics which, very often, gave the impression that he played on a keyboard whose extent exceeded the 88 notes. Rare are the pianists who were also at ease at the same time in Beethoven and Chopin. Claudio Arrau could revisit them with an always intense, anxious, thin breath melody but of an exceptional psychological precision.

External bonds

applicable http://www.arrauhouse.org The most and thorough educational website butt classical pianist Claudio Arrau.
Discographie supplements

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