Walter Klien
Encyclopedia
Walter Klien was an Austria
n pianist
.
. His mother was the artist Erika Giovanna Klien
(1900-1957). She emigrated to the United States in 1929, and their only further contact was by correspondence.
Klien studied piano with Josef Dichler at the Music Academy in Vienna
and with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
. He also studied composition with Paul Hindemith
.
He was a laureate of the Busoni Competition in Bolzano and the Marguerite Long Competition
in Paris
and made his debut in the United States
in 1969. In 1953 he had been awarded the Bosendorfer Prize
in Vienna.
Shortly before his death from cancer in 1991 (which occurred shortly before a planned visit to Australia), he was honoured with the Joseph Marx Music Prize in 1987 and the gold medal of the city of Vienna in 1989.
s of Mozart
, the piano music of Brahms
, as well as the complete piano sonata
s of Schubert
. He partnered Arthur Grumiaux
in recording the Mozart music for piano and violin.
He performed and recorded piano duo and duet repertoire with his wife, Beatriz Klien.
He was much admired for his crystalline tone and projection of detail in his interpretations. His clarity of playing suited the music of Mozart and Schubert in particular. These qualities are also very evident in his Brahms recordings, where the dense textures of the writing can easily obscure the musical argument. A small number of critics continue to regard his complete Schubert sonatas as amongst the very finest yet recorded, not least for their unique Viennese lilt and unaffected ease.
David Dubal, in the second edition of "Reflections from the Keyboard", says One of his finest achievements are his recordings of the complete piano music of Brahms, which he played with intelligence and a high degree of emotion.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Career
Klien was born in GrazGraz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
. His mother was the artist Erika Giovanna Klien
Erika Giovanna Klien
Erika Giovanna Klien was a female painter born in 12 April 1900 in Borgo Valsugana .She studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna in 1919 and graduated in 1925....
(1900-1957). She emigrated to the United States in 1929, and their only further contact was by correspondence.
Klien studied piano with Josef Dichler at the Music Academy in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was a virtuoso Italian classical pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, as well as one of the most important Italian pianists along with Ferruccio Busoni and Maurizio Pollini.-Biography:Born in Brescia, Italy, he began...
. He also studied composition with Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
.
He was a laureate of the Busoni Competition in Bolzano and the Marguerite Long Competition
Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition
The Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition is an international classical music competition for pianists and violinists that has operated in France since 1943. It was created by the pianist Marguerite Long and the violinist Jacques Thibaud...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and made his debut in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1969. In 1953 he had been awarded the Bosendorfer Prize
Bösendorfer
Bösendorfer is an Austrian piano manufacturer, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone...
in Vienna.
Shortly before his death from cancer in 1991 (which occurred shortly before a planned visit to Australia), he was honoured with the Joseph Marx Music Prize in 1987 and the gold medal of the city of Vienna in 1989.
Recordings
His discography is large, though by no means all of it has been reissued on CD. It includes the complete solo piano works and many of the piano concertoConcerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s of Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, the piano music of Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, as well as the complete piano sonata
Piano sonata
A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement , two movements , five or even more movements...
s of Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
. He partnered Arthur Grumiaux
Arthur Grumiaux
Arthur Grumiaux was a Belgian violinist who was also proficient in piano.-Youth:Grumiaux was born in Villers-Perwin, Belgium to a working-class family, and it was his grandfather who urged him to begin music studies at the age of only 4...
in recording the Mozart music for piano and violin.
He performed and recorded piano duo and duet repertoire with his wife, Beatriz Klien.
He was much admired for his crystalline tone and projection of detail in his interpretations. His clarity of playing suited the music of Mozart and Schubert in particular. These qualities are also very evident in his Brahms recordings, where the dense textures of the writing can easily obscure the musical argument. A small number of critics continue to regard his complete Schubert sonatas as amongst the very finest yet recorded, not least for their unique Viennese lilt and unaffected ease.
David Dubal, in the second edition of "Reflections from the Keyboard", says One of his finest achievements are his recordings of the complete piano music of Brahms, which he played with intelligence and a high degree of emotion.