4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
Brendel Beat Sports Any Day
I'm grateful to David Mermelstein for his appreciation of Alfred Brendel (Arts & Culture, June 18). Decades ago my grandfather gave me his collection of classical records, which included a number of Brendel LPs. I became an instant fan.
My home in the 1960s was a dairy farm in Wales. A high-school friend and I once hitched a ride to London on a lorry taking fresh meat to Smithfield Market. We stayed several days, in the mornings visiting museums, and in the evenings attending concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. It was there in 1968 that I first saw Brendel perform. He was 37 and played Beethoven's second piano concerto. The following year I heard him play Beethoven's fourth. What famous footballers were to my pals, Alfred Brendel was to me.
