As one of today's greatest classical pianists (and one of its greatest authorities), Alfred Brendel not only plays the compositions of great artists, but also writes essays on the pieces, composers, and classical periods themselves. His overwhelming knowledge of the classical genre helped Brendel gain wide admiration in cultured circles. From Bach and Beethoven to Schubert and Schoenberg, Brendel glides through classical works with literal mastery.

Born in 1931 in Moravia, now known as the Czech Republic, Alfred Brendel grew up in a family that was surprisingly non-musical. Brendel discovered music on his own at the age of three, when his family moved to Yugoslavia and bought a hotel. Brendel reveled in the hotel's phonograph, and made it a point to spin his favorites for the hotel guests. His newfound love for music led to his study of piano, conducting and composition. Brendel studied music under Sofa Dezelic in Yugoslavia and later under Ludovika von Kaan in Austria.

Brendel also found joy in painting and literature. Brendel was so gifted in the arts that when he played his first recitals at the age of seventeen they coincided with an exhibition of his watercolors in an art gallery in Graz, Austria. Brendel furthered his education by attending concerts in Vienna, and listening to current recordings. He called upon this knowledge for his own musical inspirations and later for his essays.

Alfred Brendel decided to embark on a professional musical career after winning a prize at the Busoni Competition in 1949. After becoming well known in Austria and recording for the Vox label, Brendel decided to move into the international realm.

In the '60s the 28-year-old appeared throughout Europe, and the U.S., and gave Master classes in Vienna. At the same time Brendel switched to recording for Philips, who he has stayed with to the present day.

Interestingly, in the '70s Brendel recorded many of the same pieces he had with Vox, and the comparison of the two is a source of major interest for classical scholars, as they show the artist's different interpretations of the same pieces at two different stages in his career.

Alfred Brendel's career has brought him world-wide acclaim and numerous accolades and awards. Some of these awards include the Grand Prix of the Liszt Society, the Japanese Record Academy Award, the Edison Award, the Gramophone Award and honorary degrees from Oxford and Yale.

Alfred Brendel presently lives in London with his wife, Irene. He continues to play the piano and compose while holding on to his pursuits of painting and literature. Brendel has continued to record the classics, and is returning to the works he originally played with Vox and later with Philips. This will create three libraries of a number of classical works, including all 32 Beethoven sonatas (finished by 1996.) Brendel is aware of the fact that this will give three different perspective on a number of works by one artist at three distinct career phases, and, being the classical scholar he is, recognizes his responsibility in shedding light on the phenomenon of interpretation.

Alfred Brendel has had a very important career, and has handled it all by keeping his humor. Brendel once wrote an essay entitled "Must Classical Music be Entirely Serious?," and lists his favorite activity as laughing. Perhaps this assists Brendel from faltering in this important stage of his career, and has allowed him to be such an influential player, writer and composer through the years.