Alfred Brendel, 1931-2025

Today I heard that Alfred Brendel passed away. His recordings of Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart are some of my favourites, but he was also a keen writer and critic. His essays are just as worth reading as his recordings are worth listening. So in remembrance, I thought I’d share a bit of the opening to “Schubert’s Last Sonatas.”

Schubert’s death deprived us of a wealth of possible masterpieces, though hardly, as Franz Grillparzer’s epitaph suggests, of even fairer accomplishment. The last three sonatas should not be taken as a final message. As far as we know, they were composed in the brief period between May and September 1828. The fair copy was made just a few weeks before Schubert died of typhoid, his constitution already weakened by syphilis and by a burst of productivity frantic even by his standards. Since the death of his mother, he may have had to come to terms with a growing awareness of his mortality. Yet, when he completed his last sonatas (and most probably the C major Quintet) in the autumn of 1828, it seems to me that he had no intimation of imminent death.¹

You can listen to Brendel play all three sonatas on YouTube, here.