Biography All Media Guide Wikipedia
A German composer of major works in all forms except opera, including symphonies, lieder, and solo piano music. Playing in rough taverns down by the docks as a teenager in order to supplement his family's humble income, Brahms persevered to become a renowned conductor of Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, and Schumann and a great composer, faithful to the traditional architecture and logic of classical forms but a romantic in love with German folksong. He eschewed chromaticism and told a personal and non-programmatic story in every composition.
from Wikipedia:
Claudio Arrau León (February 6, 1903 – June 9, 1991) was a Chilean-American pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning from the baroque to 20th-century composers, especially Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms and Debussy. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century.
Life and early career
Arrau was born in Chillán, Chile, the son of Carlos Arrau, an ophthalmologist who died when Claudio was only a year old, and Lucrecia León Bravo de Villalba, a piano teacher. He belonged to an old, prominent family of Southern Chile. His ancestor Lorenzo de Arrau, a Spanish engineer, was sent to Chile by King Carlos III of Spain. Through his great-grandmother, María del Carmen Daroch del Solar, Arrau was a descendant of the Campbells of Glenorchy, a Scottish noble family.
Arrau was a child prodigy, giving his first concert at age five. When he was 6 he auditioned in front of several congressmen and President Pedro Montt, who became so impressed as to start arrangements for his future education. At age 8 he was sent on a 10-year long grant from the Chilean government to study in Germany, travelling in the company of his mother and sister Lucrecia. He was admitted at the Stern Conservatory of Berlin where he eventually became a pupil of Martin Krause, who had studied under Franz Liszt. At the age of 11 he could play Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, considered to be one of the most difficult sets of works ever written for the piano, and also Brahms's Paganini Variations. Arrau's first recordings were made on Aeolian Duo-Art player piano music rolls. Krause died after 5 years of teaching Arrau, who at 15 was desolate at the loss of his mentor.
In 1937, Arrau married the mezzo-soprano Ruth Schneider, a German national, and they had three children: Carmen (1938–2006), Mario (1940–1988) and Christopher (1959). In 1941 the Arrau family left Germany and migrated to the United States, where they spent their remaining years. He settled in New York City and adopted dual U.S./Chilean citizenship later on, in 1979.
Arrau was born and raised as a Roman Catholic. By his own admission, he was especially devout in his teenage years, having been encouraged by a French Catholic priest that he liked. He later became an agnostic, having become disgusted with the idea of transubstantiation, which he compared to cannibalism.
Tone and approach to music
Many claim that his rich, weighty tone lent his interpretations an authoritative, distinctive voice, some saying it sounded thick and muddy and others praising its rounded tone, saying it sounded as though Arrau were almost playing the organ or "plowing" his "paws" into the "flexible" keyboard. According to American critic Harold C. Schonberg, Arrau always put "a decidedly romantic piano tone in his interpretations".
Arrau was an intellectual and a deeply reflective interpreter. He read widely while travelling, and despite the lack of any formal education outside of his musical training, he learned English, Italian, German, and French in addition to his native Spanish. He became familiar with Jung's psychology in his twenties.
Arrau's attitude toward music was very serious. He preached fidelity to the score. Although he often played with slower and more deliberate tempi from his middle age, Arrau had a reputation for being a fabulous virtuoso early in his career. According to Joseph Horowitz in his book Conversations With Arrau (1982), many critics felt that his overall approach became less spontaneous and more reserved and introspective after the death of his mother, whom he was extremely close to. Arrau had isolated himself for two weeks after his mother's death, refusing to perform or to receive comfort from friends.
Contributions
Numerous pianists studied with Arrau, including Karlrobert Kreiten, Garrick Ohlsson, William Melton, Roberto Bravo, and Roberto Eyzaguirre among others.
Arrau recorded the comprehensive piano music of Schumann. He edited Beethoven's piano sonatas for the Peters Urtext edition and recorded all of them on the Philips label in 1962-1966. He recorded almost all of them once again after 1984. He is also famous for his recordings of Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Debussy, among others.
Notable recordings:
Bach: Goldberg VariationsBeethoven: Piano Concertos (he recorded them three times) & Piano SonatasWeber: Piano Sonata No. 1 & Konzertstück, Op. 79Schubert: Piano Sonata, D. 958 & Klavierstücke, D. 946Chopin: Nocturnes & Piano ConcertosSchumann: Carnaval & Fantasia in CLiszt: Sonata in B minor & Transcendental ÉtudesBrahms: Piano Concertos (he recorded them twice) & Piano Sonatas No. 2 and 3Debussy: PreludesSchoenberg: Piano Pieces, Op. 11.At the time of his death at age 88 in Mürzzuschlag, Austria in the midst of a European concert tour, Arrau was working on a recording of the complete works of Bach for keyboard, and had Haydn, Mendelssohn, Reger, Busoni and Boulez's 3rd Sonata in preparation. His remains were interred in his native city of Chillán, Chile.
The Robert Schumann Society established the Arrau Medal in 1991. It has been awarded to András Schiff, Martha Argerich and Murray Perahia.
Awards and recognitions
1990:Gold Medal of The Royal Philharmonic Society
1988:La Medalla Teresa Carreño of Venezuela
Honorary Member of The Royal Philharmonic Society
1984:The Highest Distinction Award from the Inter-American Music Council and the Organization of American States
Doctor Honoris Causa of Universidad de Concepción
Professor Honoris Causa of Universidad de Bío-Bío
1983:The International UNESCO Music Prize
National de la Légion d'honneur of France
National Prize of Art of Chile
First Honorary Member of The Robert Schumann Society
Doctor Honoris Causa of University of Oxford
Commandatore da Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Knighthood from the Order of Malta
Beethoven Medal of New York
Philadelphia Bowl of Philadelphia
1982:La Orden del Águila Azteca of Mexico
1980:Hans von Bülow Medal of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
1970:Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz of the Federal Republic of Germany
1968:Homage from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Kurt Westphal, on behalf of the orchestra, called him "heir to the throne of Gieseking and Busoni".
1965:Chevalier of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France
Presented with 'The Mask of Chopin' & Chopin's manuscripts
1959:Santiago's Honorary Citizen
Concepción's Honorary Citizen and City Gold Medal
Hijo Benemérito de Chillán
Chillán's hitherto Lumaco Street was named after Claudio Arrau
1958:The Medal of The Royal Philharmonic Society
1949:Hijo Predilecto de México
Doctor Honoris Causa of University of Chile
1941:Hijo Ilustre de Chillán
1927:Winner of the Grand Prix of the Concours International des Pianistes Geneva. The jury was composed by Arthur Rubinstein, Joseph Pembauer, Ernest Schelling, Alfred Cortot and José Vianna da Motta. Cortot exclaimed: "Cela c'est un pianiste. C'est merveilleux"
1925:Honour Prize of the Stern Conservatory, becoming Professor
1919 & 1920:Liszt Prize (after 45 years without a first place winner)
1918:Schulhoff Prize
End of studies at the Stern Conservatory, receiving an "Exceptional Diploma"
1917:Sachsen-Gothaische Medaille
1916:Grant of the Stern Conservatory
1915:First Prize in the Rudolph Ibach Competition (he was the only participating boy)
1915:Gustav Holländer Medal for young artists
1911:Grant of the Chilean Congress for musical studies in Berlin
Album Prizes
Deutscher Schallplattenpreis:Brahms 2 Piano Concertos with Carlo Maria Giulini and Philharmonia Orchestra [EMI Recorded in 1960 & 1962]
Beethoven 5 Piano Concertos with Bernard Haitink and Concertgebouw Orchestra [Philips Recorded in 1964]
Schumann Sonate Op.11, Fantasiestücke Op.111 [Philips Recorded in 1967 & 1968]
Brahms 2 Piano Concertos with Bernard Haitink and Concertgebouw Orchestra [Philips Recorded in 1969]
Liszt Record Grand Prix:Liszt Complete Concert Paraphrases on Operas by Verdi [Philips Recorded in 1971]
Liszt 12 Etudes d'exécution Transcendente [Philips Recorded in 1974 & 1976]
Liszt 2 Piano Concertos with Sir Colin Davis and London Symphony Orchestra [Philips Recorded in 1979]
Diapason d'Or:Chopin Complete Nocturnes [Philips Recorded in 1977 & 1978]
Chopin Complete Etudes [EMI Recorded in 1956, Remastered in 1987]
Grand Prix du Disque:Chopin Complete Etudes [EMI Recorded in 1956, Remastered in 1987]
Schumann Piano Concerto, Carnaval & Beethoven Sonata Op.111 [EMI Filmed in 1963, 1961 & 1970]
Edison Award:Liszt Solo Piano Works: Ballade No.2, Jeux d'eaux à la villa d'Este, Vallée d'Obermann…… [Philips Recorded in 1969]
Belgium Caecilia Award:Schumann Comprehensive Solo Piano Works [Philips Recorded from 1966 to 1976]
Japan Record Academy Award:Beethoven 5 Piano Concertos with Sir Colin Davis and Staatskapelle Dresden [Philips Recorded in 1984 & 1987]
FFFF de Télérama:Chopin Complete Etudes [EMI Recorded in 1956, Remastered in 1987]
Warsaw Chopin Society's Grand Prix du Disque Frédéric Chopin:Chopin Complete Etudes [EMI Recorded in 1956, Remastered in 1987]
