Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991) came from a very musical family: the father was a royal music director and organist of the St. Nicolai Church in Potsdam, the grandfather was organist, his brother Georg was director of church music at the University of Erlangen. Kempff grew up in Potsdam, studied music in Berlin and received there a thorough education as a pianist. Already in the 20's he began with an extensive touring activity which took him around the world. He performed in Japan as well as in South America and in the United States. To his friends belonged Eugen d'Albert, Georg Kulenkampff, Edwin Fischer and the legendary pianistin Elly Ney. Together with Roger Peyrefitte, Ernst Fuchs, Ronald Reagan, Dr. Uta Ranke-Heinemann, Salvador Dali and other personalities, also Kempff belonged to the Order of Alexander the Great for Science and Art.
His repertory ranged from the Baroque to the Romantic styles. He masterly
interpreted the works of Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Brahms as well as those by
Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, and Chopin. Kempff still performed at the age of 80 with his friend Leonard Bernstein in New York City. The friendship between the two has developed after the Second World War. Bernstein praised the German: "He is one of the most interesting personalities I ever met in my life".
Wilhelm Kempff gave his last public performance in Paris in 1981. The pianist, who was known world-wide as a great crowd-drawing attraction, enchanted once more the public with his incomparable art. His wife, countess Hiller von Gaertringen, announced after this concert that her husband was ill and would not perform any more. He had the Parkinson's disease. Kempff, who since 1955 had sought rest and tranquility after his demanding concert tours in his home in Ammerland at the Starnberger Lake near Munich, spent the last five years of his life in his house in the picture-pretty Italian town of Positano in the rocky bay of Salerno and Amalfi. Already in 1957 he had founded there a school for especially talented pianists, where he gave free instruction. Wilhelm Kempff was one of the most significant pianists of this century, who put his stamp on whole generations of artists. Up to his last days Kempff showed a lively interest in the current developments in music around the world. Kempff was a pianist with an unmistakable, unique touch. His interpretations of piano works of the classic and romantic styles were always stamped with a highly personal style. |
