Claudio Arrau
39 Shouts - 649,896 Scrobbles
Biography
Claudio Arrau León (February 6, 1903 – June 9, 1991) was a Chilean pianist of world fame for his deep interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning from the baroque to 20th-century composers. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.
Read More...
Arrau recorded the complete piano music of Robert Schumann, and edited his works for publication, as well as all Beethoven piano sonatas in Urtext edition. He is also famous for his recordings of Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Liszt, Chopin, Schubert and Debussy, among others. He played with style and passion, with a prodigious technique. Many claimed that his rich, weighty tone lent his interpretations a 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." 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 feel his overall approach became less spontaneous and more reserved and introspective after the death of his mother, to whom he was extremely close.
At the time of his death at 88 in Mürzzuschlag, Austria, Arrau was working on a compact disc 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.
User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
Top Songs
Total plays on Last.fm over the last 6 months- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 - 2nd Movement: Largo - (10:32) - 1,358 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP3
7digital
iTunes- Ringtone
- Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 -"Pathétique" - 2. Adagio cantabile - (6:21) - 1,071 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP3
7digital
iTunes- Ringtone
- Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, Op.27 No.2 -"Moonlight" - 1. Adagio sostenuto - (6:49) - 425 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP3
7digital
iTunes- Ringtone
- Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: I. Allegro con brio - (15:43) - 411 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP30.99 USD
7digital0.99 USD
iTunes- Ringtone
- Nocturne No.2 in E flat, Op.9 No.2 - (4:48) - 406 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP30.99 USD
7digital0.99 USD
iTunes0.99 USD- Ringtone
- 12 Etudes, Op. 25: No. 4 in A Minor - (2:18) - 284 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP3
7digital
iTunes- Ringtone
- Études, Op. 25 - No. 9 in G-flat major - (1:04) - 227 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP30.99 USD
7digital0.99 USD
iTunes0.99 USD- Ringtone
- 12 Etudes, Op. 25: No. 3 in F Major - (2:04) - 269 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP3
7digital
iTunes- Ringtone
- 12 Etudes, Op. 25: No. 5 in E Minor - (3:25) - 266 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP3
7digital
iTunes- Ringtone
- 12 Etudes, Op. 25: No. 1 in A-Flat Major ('Harp Study') - (2:26) - 277 plays
- Download This Track
Amazon MP3
7digital
iTunes- Ringtone