Last North American Tour for Alfred Brendel Includes Classes at The Juilliard School and in Canada

Alfred Brendel is the preeminent thinking pianist, a loner to whom fame came through the power of imaginative integrity. Last fall, the illustrious pianist Alfred Brendel who turned 80 on January 5, returned to The Juilliard School to give his last master class. End Quote

New York, NY (1888PressRelease) January 25, 2012 - Legendary pianist Alfred Brendel's last U.S. master class took place at The Juilliard School; on Sunday, October 30. Mr. Brendel, who will continue to write, lecture and teach in Europe, has announced that he will no longer travel to the United States for professional engagements. He is vigorously pursuing his literary and musical occupations in Europe. Since his retirement from the concert stage in 2008, Mr. Brendel has visited Juilliard annually, coaching and giving classes both in public and private. He stopped into the Juilliard Store to sign copies of his book of collected essays Alfred Brendel on Music and his new CD Alfred Brendel: Liszt. He was met by dozens of adoring fans, young and old.

For 60 years, pianist Alfred Brendel has enjoyed a distinguished international career concentrating on the works of central European composers from Bach to Schoenberg, with particular recognition for his landmark performances and recordings of the complete piano works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert. He has been a champion for the works of Liszt and was influential in getting the Schoenberg Piano Concerto recognized as an integral part of the piano repertoire. He has performed regularly at the world's major musical centers and festivals, and with virtually all of the leading orchestras and conductors. His extensive discography for Philips Classics has made him one of the most respected artists of our time. Mr. Brendel's final concert appearance was with the Vienna Philharmonic on December 18, 2008.

Mr. Brendel has received honorary degrees from many universities, including Oxford and Yale, and was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire in 1989 for his "Outstanding Services to Music in Britain," where he has made his home since 1972. In 1992 he received the Hans von Bülow Medal from the Berlin Philharmonic and was granted Honorary Membership in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in December 1998. In 2001 he was presented with "Lifetime Achievement" awards at both the MIDEM Cannes Classical Awards and the Edison Awards in Holland, as well as the prestigious "Beethoven Ring" in Vienna. He has received the Léonie Sonning Prize, the Furtwängler Prize for Musical Interpretation, and the Robert Schumann Prize, as well as the 2004 Ernst von Siemens Prize, the 2007 Arthur Rubinstein Prize in Venice, the 2008 Karajan Prize, the 2009 Praemium Imperiale Laureate in Tokyo, and the 2010 Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award.

About the Juilliard Store: An adjunct to the Julliard School, throughout its history, the Store has met the sheet music needs of music educators, professional performers, and amateur musicians. Today the Julliard Store is one of the last remaining sheet music retailers in New York City. Julliard School themed apparel and gift selection are also sold at the Juilliard Store. Find them on the internet at www.thejuilliardstore.com.

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