"The aim is to be freer and yet more accurate. The accuracy means that the details count as much as the whole -- and this is also something that people who are not performers do not understand. There are some performers who have a good overview but who lack the detail, or there are performers who bring details beautifully to light but do not have the big concept and don't know where they really belong and where they come from and where they lead to."

-- Interview from Gramophone magazine (Stephen Plaistow, February 1996)

This unofficial little pocket of cyberspace is devoted to Alfred Brendel, a classical pianist who must surely rank among the greats of this century. Since his first recording of Beethoven's complete piano works in the 1960s and his return to the sonatas twice more in recorded format, he has been most closely identified with the German composer, but his repertoire has admirable scope as well as depth. If you're unfamiliar with his work, new to classical music, or just plain browsing you'll find that this page and its various links should give you some idea of his approach to the piano and music in general; and if you're already an admirer of his, I hope you still find a few bits worth your time.