Wilhelm Kempff

Whether it's a Schubert sonata or an inventive Bach transcription, Wilhelm Kempff's playing is delightfully dextrous. His contribution to recorded piano music during the 20th century is vast: the 2020 Wilhelm Kempff Edition comprised 80 albums—including three versions of the Beethoven concertos. Born in Brandenburg in 1895, Kempff was surrounded by professional musicians—his father, grandfather and brother were all involved in church music. After studying in Berlin, Kempff's touring and recording career took off. He also composed; his works have been championed by Turkish pianist and Kempff pupil İdil Biret, and his Bach transcriptions feature on contemporary albums such as Víkingur Ólafsson's 2018 Bach collection. After World War II, Kempff played chamber music with international musicians including Yehudi Menuhin, with whom he recorded the complete violin sonatas. Although Kempff explored the piano literature in its entirety, Beethoven was always a favourite, and the pianist offered an annual course dedicated to the composer. Kempff (who died in 1991) lived through many innovations in recording technology, and his early shellac recordings made during the 1920s (since transferred to digital) are a vital pianistic time capsule.