| 42nd | Top classical pianists (recorded) |
| 59th | Top classical pianists |
Claudio Arrau León (February 6, 1903 – June 9, 1991) was a Chilean 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.
Contents |
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.[citation needed]
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 an 10-year long grant from the Chilean government to study in Germany, travelling in the company of his mother and sister Quecha (Lucretia). 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 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. Sadly, Krause died after 5 years of teaching Arrau, who at 15 was desolate at the loss of his mentor.
In 1937, Arrau married German national mezzo-soprano Ruth Schneider, 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.
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 Schonberg, Arrau always put "a decidedly romantic piano tone in his interpretations".[1]
Arrau was an intellectual and a deeply reflective interpreter. He was familiar with Jung's psychology since his twenties.[2]
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, to whom he was extremely close.
Arrau was the teacher of Karlrobert Kreiten, Rafael de Silva, Paul Kiss, Edith Fischer, David Lively, Ena Bronstein, Philip Lorenz, Alfonso Montecino, Olga Barabini, William Melton, Roberto Szidon, Greville Rothon, Wolfgang Leibnitz, Garrick Ohlsson, Arnulf von Arnim, David Rubinstein, Stephen Drury, the Pekinel sisters, Roberto Eyzaguirre, Bennett Lerner, Dickran Atamian, Goodwin Sammel, Rosalina Sackstein, John Cobb, Clive Britton, Reidrun Rodewald, Antonio Guedes Barbosa, Germán Diez, Fedora Aberastury, Elmma Miranda, Mario Miranda, John Bell Young, Ines Leyva and Pilar Leyva.
Arrau recorded the comprehensive piano music of Robert Schumann. He edited Beethoven's piano sonatas for the Peters Urtext edition and recorded all of them on the Philips label. He made his last recording of the Beethoven sonatas at age 80. He is also famous for his recordings of Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Debussy, among others.
Famous recordings: Beethoven Piano Concertos & Piano Sonatas, Schubert Piano Sonata D.958, Weber Piano Sonata No.1, Chopin Nocturnes, Schumann Carnaval, Liszt Piano Sonata & Etudes d'execution Transcendante, Brahms Piano Concertos & Piano Sonata No.3, Debussy Preludes, Schoenberg Piano Pieces Op.11.
At the time of his death at age 88 in Mürzzuschlag, Austria in the midst of a tight 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.
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 Solo Piano Works: Ballade No.2, Jeux d'eaux à la villa d'Este, Petrarch Sonnet 104 & 123, Vallée d'Obermann, Valse oubliée in F sharp [Philips Recorded in 1969]
Liszt Complete Concert Paraphrases on Operas by Verdi [Philips Recorded in 1971]
Chopin Complete Nocturnes [Philips Recorded in 1977 & 1978]
Schumann Comprehensive Solo Piano Works [Philips Recorded from 1966 to 1976]
Liszt 12 Etudes d'exécution Transcendante [Philips Recorded in 1974 & 1976]
Liszt 2 Piano Concertos with Sir Colin Davis and London Symphony Orchestra [Philips Recorded in 1979]
Beethoven 5 Piano Concertos with Sir Colin Davis and Staatskapelle Dresden [Philips Recorded in 1984 (Nos. 4 & 5) and 1987 (Nos. 1, 2 & 3)]
Chopin Complete Etudes [EMI Remastering Recorded in 1956, Remastered in 1987]
Claudio Arrau León (February 6, 1903 - June 9, 1991) was a Chilean classical pianist and one of the greatest classical pianists of the 20th century.
Arrau started to play the piano as a boy and was giving concerts at the age of 5. The Chilean government heard of the child prodigy and quickly organized to have him sent to Germany to study with the best music teachers. At the age of 7 Arrau started serious study of music in Germany at the Stern Conservatory, Berlin.
By the age of 11, Arrau was playing like a master, and performed the works of Liszt, Chopin and Brahms in recitals.
Later in life Arrau became an important teacher of the piano and taught some of the most famous pianists in the world. Arrau married Ruth Schneider, an opera singer, and settled in the United States. Throughout his career he won the highest awards for piano playing. He died in Austria in 1991.
   | Biographical sketch - CLAUDIO ARRAU BIOGRAPHY |
| | Profile for Claudio Arrau León - Claudio Arrau León (1903 - 1991) - Find A Grave Memorial |
| | Decca & Philips' Biography and Discography - Decca Music Group - Claudio Arrau |
| | Biography of Claudio Arrau - Ilustre Municipalidad de Chillán :: Claudio Arrau León |
| | Article of Claudio Arrau - BBC - Music - Frequently Asked Questions |
| | Discographie, repertoire et informations - Claudio Arrau. Discographie, repertoire et informations. |
| | Claudio Arrau - Claudio Arrau : Site officiel - Pianiste chilien Musique classique |
| | ArrauHouse - Claudio Arrau; index |
| | A comprehensive discography - Claudio Arrau (1903-1991) - discographie | discography - [ LETTRE A ] |
| | Pianist Claudio - pianistclaudio - Pianist Claudio Claudio Arrau |
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
