Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel dies at 94: spokesman
Tributes began pouring in to Brendel, described by some as "a musical giant".
Brendel, who had lived in London for more than 50 years, had a reputation for being modest, self-effacing and intensely self-critical.
He gave only short, quick bows when entering or leaving the stage of his always sell-out recitals. The Guardian newspaper said once he was never one "for fireworks and histrionics".
Brendel began playing the piano at the age of six and had little formal training after the age of 16.
He was best known for his performances of the great European composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Liszt.
An Austrian citizen, born on January 5, 1931, in Wiesenberg in northern Moravia, now the Czech Republic, Brendel spent his childhood travelling throughout Yugoslavia and Austria.
Following World War II, the family moved to Graz in Austria, where Brendel studied at the city's conservatory.
When he retired from concert performances in Vienna in December 2008, he was asked what he would miss most.
"The adrenalin," he said. And "in spite of all those obnoxious coughers and the mobile telephones and hearing aids going off," he would miss the public, too, Brendel said.
The Royal Philharmonic Society mourned the passing of "a musical giant with the tenderest touch" in a post on the social network X.
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Pop Mart shares rise 12% as Labubu maker announces new mini doll
Shares in Pop Mart soared over 12.5% in daily trading in Hong Kong on Wednesday after the Chinese company released stellar earnings. The creator of the Labubu doll saw its revenue jump 204% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, coming in at 13.88 billion yuan (€1.66bn). Net profit soared 386% to 4.68bn yuan (€559.39 million), beating forecasts. Around 40% of sales were made up by purchases outside of mainland China thanks to the international appeal of the firm's Labubu brand, part of its 'The Monsters' range. "The Monsters" brought in 4.81bn yuan (€574.99mn) in the first half of the year, accounting for 34.7% of total revenue. The elf-like dolls have become a viral sensation, boosted by the endorsement of celebrities like Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian and David Beckham. Part of the attraction is that the toys are sold in blind-box packaging. This means that customers don't know what they have purchased until they open the product. Although the firm was created back in 2010, Pop Mart launched its first blind-box series in 2016. The popularity of the range allowed the company to list in Hong Kong in December 2020, achieving a market capitalisation of around €6bn. Since the IPO, shares have risen by over 300%. Pop Mart opened its first European store in London in January 2022, hoping to expand in overseas markets. Today, the company operates around 2,600 vending machines and almost 600 stores across the globe, meaning Labubu dolls can be bought in more than 30 countries. Given the demand for dolls, Pop Mart is now considering expansion in the Middle East, Central Europe, and Central and South America. The firm operates around 40 stores in the US, with 10 more sites expected to open by the end of 2025. In an earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Wang Ning also said that Pop Mart would this week launch a new, mini version of Labubu that can be attached to phones. Wang added that his firm was on track to meet its 2025 revenue goal of 20bn yuan (€2.39bn), noting that '30bn this year should also be quite easy'. Some analysts have nonetheless raised doubts over the sustainability of the company's rise, driven by social media sites like TikTok. 'The craze for the elf-like Labubu dolls is translating into big profit and cash flow,' said AJ Bell head of financial analysis, Danni Hewson. ''Consumers can be capricious when it comes to this type of fad though and Pop Mart will have to work hard to build on this success if it is to avoid being a one-hit wonder.'
Euronews
6 hours ago
- Euronews
UK raises £3.8 million to keep rare Barbara Hepworth sculpture
The UK has raised £3.8 million (approx. €4.4 million) to save a rare sculpture by British artist Barbara Hepworth for the nation,The Hepworth Wakefield art museum said on Tuesday. Hepworth's 1943 'Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red' will enter the UK's national collection and go on permanent public display at The Hepworth Wakefield, in her West Yorkshire hometown. Born in 1903, Barbara Hepworth was one of the leading and pioneering figures of British Modernism throughout the first half of the 20th century. Her 'Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red' 'marks a breakthrough in Hepworth's career,' The Hepworth Wakefield said in a statement. She created the piece at the height of World War II after she settled with her family in St. Ives, Cornwall. She remained there until her death in 1975. 'It is one of only a handful of wooden carvings made by Hepworth during the 1940s, and one of the first major wood carvings she made using strings.' She went on to produce a series of notable stringed and colourful sculptures. English art collector Helen Sutherland first bought the piece directly from the artist in 1944. It remained privately owned and mostly shielded from public view ever since. The artwork was most recently sold to a private collector at a Christie's auction in March 2024 in London. But in November, the UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport placed a temporary export bar on the sculpture, citing its 'outstanding connection with our history and national life, its outstanding aesthetic importance and its outstanding significance' to the study of Hepworth's work. 'Dame Barbara Hepworth was a phenomenal artistic genius,' Arts Minister Chris Bryant said in a statement at the time. 'I hope a UK buyer can be found for this sculpture so the British public can continue to learn and engage with one our most important artists for generations to come.' A post shared by Art Fund (@artfund) The Hepworth Wakefield and UK charity Art Fund launched a campaign in June to raise the £3.8 million necessary to buy the piece. The campaign reached its target on Tuesday, ahead of its 27 August deadline. The appeal resulted in 2,800 donations from individual members of the public, as well as several major grants, including £1.89 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £750,000 from Art Fund. 'We think [Hepworth] would have been delighted that so many people have come together to enable her work to be part of a public art collection which can be experienced and enjoyed by so many', said The Hepworth Wakefield interim director and CEO Olivia Colling. The gallery will celebrate the sculpture's acquisition with a dedicated exhibition, with details to be announced.
Euronews
7 hours ago
- Euronews
Eurovision Song Contest 2026 to take place in Vienna
It has been announced today that Vienna will be the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, the world's biggest live televised music event. It will be Vienna's third time as host, following 1967 and 2015. Austria's public broadcaster ORF announced the news, with the final set for 16 May at the Wiener Stadthalle - Austria's largest indoor arena. 'After thorough examination and based on a unanimous jury assessment, ORF has concluded that Vienna's bid is the most attractive not only in terms of infrastructure and logistics, but also economically," ORF Director General Roland Weißmann said. 'As mayor of Vienna, I am naturally delighted that Vienna has prevailed and will once again represent Austria next year. I am convinced that we will have a wonderful May together,' Mayor Michael Ludwig wrote on X. He previously stated that they were "doing everything we can to bring the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 to Vienna, the place JJ calls home. Our city is ready to welcome Europe with open arms.' The last Eurovision Song Contest took place in Basel this Sping and was watched by 166 million viewers in 37 countries. It was won by Austrian singer JJ with his song 'Wasted Love' - an operatic and techo-infused banger which was one of our favourites to win the contest. JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, became Austria's third Eurovision winner, after Conchita Wurst in 2014 and Udo Jürgens in 1966. Check out our interview with JJ. This year's Eurovision was hit by controversy, with pro-Palestinian activists protesting Eurovision's decision to allow Israel – who came runner-up this year – to participate in the contest despite the war in Gaza. Following his win, JJ called for Israel to be excluded from next year's competition. This triggered heated reactions in Austria, with the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) describing Eurovision as a "queer, left-wing, woke spectacle." FPOe also critised Vienna for the high costs regarding hosting Eurovision. Eurovision's finale will take place on 16 May after the semi-finals on 12 and 14 May 2026.
