Walter Klien
Walter Klien (born November 27, 1928 in Graz , Austria ; † February 10, 1991 ) was an Austrian pianist .
Klien came from Graz . His mother was the painter and sculptor Erika Giovanna Klien (1900–1957). She emigrated to the USA in 1929 and from then on only had contact with the family by letter. Klien studied piano with Josef Dichler at the Vienna Music Academy and with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and composition with Paul Hindemith . He was the winner of the Busoni Piano Competition in Bolzano and the Marguerite Long Competition in Paris . He also won the Bösendorfer Prize in Vienna in 1953. It made its US debut in 1969.
Shortly before his death in 1991, he was honored with the Joseph Marx Music Prize in 1987 and the gold medal of honor of the federal capital Vienna in 1989 .
Recordings
His discography includes the complete piano works of Mozart and most of the piano solo works by Brahms , as well as all of Schubert's piano sonatas . He recorded Mozart's piano-violin sonatas with Arthur Grumiaux . This recording received special attention because Grumiaux was accompanied in the previous mono recording by the legendary Clara Haskil , for whom Walter Klien proved to be an equal replacement. With Alfred Brendel he recorded four-handed works by Mozart and Brahms . There are also song recordings in which he accompanies Julius Patzak and Hans Hotter , as well as recordings for piano four hands and for two pianos, which he recorded with his wife Beatriz Klien . His interpretations were admired for their crystalline purity and attention to detail. In particular, these virtues suit his interpretations of Mozart's and Schubert's piano music. These qualities are also particularly clear in his much-praised recording of Brahms's piano works, in which he replaced the proverbial “Brahms fog” that had prevailed until then with a flexible and transparent reading. Although he was not the first pianist to take this path, Wilhelm Backhaus and Walter Gieseking in particular should be mentioned before him, but through these recordings he had a greater influence on style than other pianists of his time.
Web links
- Media from and about Walter Klien in the catalog of the German National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Klien, Walter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 27, 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Graz , Austria |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 10, 1991 |