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The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Alfred Brendel obituary
In the postscript to his 1998 book of poetry One Finger Too Many, the pianist Alfred Brendel cites among his muses an elderly woman who stopped in front of the bench on which he was sitting at New York's Museum of Modern Art, pointed at him and asked: 'Are you Woody Allen?' The fact that he could be confused with the American actor and director is not in itself surprising: with his puckish face, quizzically raised eyebrows and thick-rimmed Eric Morecambe glasses, Brendel, who has died aged 94, did have the air of a comedian. It was an aura he relished and cultivated in his quirky poetry and it goes to the heart of his personality. For Brendel's art was characterised by a paradox. On the one hand lay an intellectual discipline, academic rigour and search for perfection; on the other a delight in the absurd. He once listed 'laughing' as his favourite occupation and was fond of observing that 'humour is the sublime in reverse'. In a performing career that spanned six decades Brendel commanded a respect that came, especially in the later years, to border on reverence. His authoritative interpretations of the classical repertoire – primarily Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert – were second to none, though in his earlier years he was also a fine Lisztian and helped to establish Schoenberg's Piano Concerto in the concert repertoire. But for a sense that he would not be able to do it justice and that it would draw him away from his beloved classical repertoire, he might have been an active advocate for contemporary music, for it interested him keenly and he was a familiar sight at avant-garde events. In 2007 Brendel announced his intention to retire following a year-long series of concerts and recitals. The final London recital, at the Royal Festival Hall in June 2008, was representative of his last years in that, while lacking something of the flair and muscularity that had so impressed in his prime, his playing of Mozart and Beethoven had all the nuanced subtlety and consummate artistry we had come to expect. Schubert's valedictory Sonata in B flat, D960, was delivered with inspirational insight, while encores by Bach and Liszt paid tribute to masters recently neglected by him. The last appearance of all came in December 2008 in Vienna, where Brendel chose to bow out with Mozart's youthful Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat, K271, the 'Jeunehomme'. Born in Wiesenberg, Moravia (now the Czech Republic), Alfred was the son of Ida (nee Wieltschnig) and Albert Brendel. He had a somewhat itinerant childhood on account of his father's diverse occupations (architectural engineer, businessman and manager of resort hotels). It was when his father became a cinema director in Zagreb, Croatia, that he had his first piano lessons, at the age of six, from Sofia Dezelic, followed after the second world war by study with Ludovika von Kaan at the conservatoire in Graz, Austria, and private composition lessons with Artur Michl, a local organist and composer. His relative lack of formal training in music was, Brendel later considered, a blessing, for it encouraged him to be self-critical: 'A teacher can be too influential,' he once said. It was entirely characteristic that his first public recital, in Graz at the age of 17, should have consisted of works by Bach, Brahms, Liszt and himself, but only works that included fugues. Even the four encores contained fugues. It was an early manifestation of the intellectual streak that was to define him; also evident was his interest in literature and the visual arts – he held a one-man exhibition of paintings in a Graz gallery in conjunction with his recital. After taking fourth prize at the prestigious Busoni competition in Bolzano, northern Italy, in 1949 he began to tour Europe, taking part in masterclasses by Paul Baumgartner, Eduard Steuermann (a pupil of Busoni and Schoenberg) and, crucially, Edwin Fischer, to whom (along with Alfred Cortot and Wilhelm Kempff) he believed he owed the most. He made his first recordings in the 1950s, and became the first pianist to record the entire piano works of Beethoven, a memorable and highly praised issue on the Vox–Turnabout label (1958-64). His Queen Elizabeth Hall debut in London led to offers from three record companies, and having been signed by Philips as an exclusive artist, he recorded a Beethoven sonata cycle in the 70s. His complete Philips recordings (114 CDs) were reissued by Decca in 2016. Beethoven was always to loom large on his musical horizon: in the 1982–83 season, for example, he gave the complete cycle of 32 sonatas in 77 recitals in 11 cities across Europe and America, and further similar tours were made in the 90s, with a third recorded cycle completed in 1996. Inevitably, perhaps, some of the fire and spontaneity present in the first of those recorded cycles was no longer evident in the third, but in its place was a spiritual profundity, the product of a lifetime's experience. Alongside Beethoven, it was Mozart and Schubert who had pride of place. Clues to Brendel's approach to Mozart can be gleaned from a revealing essay entitled A Mozart Player Gives Himself Advice, in which he proclaims that: 'Mozart is made neither of porcelain, nor of marble, nor of sugar.' The 'touch-me-not' Mozart and the 'sentimentally bloated' Mozart were to be avoided at all costs. Neither was Mozart a 'flower child' with weak or vague rhythms and dreamy tone, Brendel asserted. Rather it was the duty of the interpreter to find the ideal balance between freshness and urbanity, unaffectedness and irony, aloofness and intimacy. Playing Schubert, on the other hand, was, according to Brendel, akin to 'walking on the edge of a precipice'. In this music, happiness was always on the verge of tragedy and Schubert's brooding moods were projected as harbingers of the phantasmagorical visions of Schumann. It was also the case that Brendel revelled in the romantic, Sturm und Drang – storm and stress – aspects of Haydn and Mozart, which similarly looked forward, in his hands, to the emotionalism of Beethoven. With regard to Liszt's music, Brendel drew attention to its fragmentary nature, and amply fulfilled what he saw as the interpreter's responsibility to 'show us how a general pause may connect rather than separate two paragraphs, how a transition may mysteriously transform the musical argument'. He claimed it was 'a magical art' and therefore, one might assume, a particular challenge for a man so ruled by his intellect. But in his performances of such works as Vallée d'Obermann and Sposalizio it was precisely the otherworldly, transcendental quality of the music he captured so well, not least by his perfect calibration of their silences. The aim was to integrate passion and introspection, and while it goes almost without saying that the cult of the self-advertising virtuoso held little appeal for him, he was also, in his prime, able to surmount the fearsome technical demands of such a work as the Rákóczy March, deploying a rock-steady rhythmic control to generate its expressive force. A similar intensity characterised his rendering of Busoni's formidable Toccata, while his knowledge of the spooky world of German romanticism informed his response to the enigmatic aspects of Schumann's fantasy pieces. In the last decade or so of his career, physical problems with his back and his arm prevented Brendel from essaying the big virtuoso works, though it has to be said that this was all of a piece with his concentration in these years on the inner essence of things: a striving after truth. In some of these late recitals, the repertoire for which focused increasingly on the classical period, Brendel's playing often lacked the inspirational quality of his earlier years, but there was more than adequate compensation in the authoritative, penetrating readings he delivered. Such an evolution in his style may well have been related to a psychological development: inner emotional conflicts were perhaps reflected in the more volatile interpretations of his earlier period, while the sublime revelations of his late maturity were the product of a more reconciled, integrated personality. Beyond the solo piano repertoire his recordings likewise reflected his predilections: major releases included four complete sets of the Beethoven concertos (most memorably with Simon Rattle), complete Mozart concertos with Neville Marriner (together with a further eight in conjunction with Charles Mackerras), the two Brahms Piano Concertos with Claudio Abbado and the Schumann with Kurt Sanderling. He collaborated also with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau on a Winterreise and with Matthias Goerne on lieder by Schubert and Beethoven. Chamber recordings included the complete works of Beethoven for cello and piano with his son, Adrian. His literary abilities and incisive mind resulted in two collections of immensely rewarding essays on music: Musical Thoughts & Afterthoughts and Music Sounded Out (both 1990). A third collection, Alfred Brendel on Music (2001), gathered together both published and previously unpublished essays. A further collection of essays and lectures – Music, Sense and Nonsense – distilling his thoughts on music over the decades, appeared in 2015. If those collections amply demonstrated his erudition on musicological matters, his two volumes of poetry, One Finger Too Many and Cursing Bagels (2004), attested to a dadaist sense of humour and a florid imagination. In one poem an extra index finger was developed by a pianist 'to expose an obstinate cougher in the hall' or to indicate the theme in retrospect in a complicated fugue. Other poems mused on Brahms, beards and the Buddha. After his retirement from the concert platform, Brendel continued to give lectures, in which he often attempted to distance himself from what he regarded as the self-indulgent excesses of the historically informed movement. Seeking his own authenticity in a balance between fidelity and interpretation, he evinced little patience with exaggerated phrasing and accentuation, and even less with over-brisk tempi: 'There is a reductionist theory that all music is dance,' he wearily intoned, 'and what a treat to hear an Agnus Dei or Miserere skipping along.' All forms of the absurd fascinated Brendel: kitsch and masks (of each of which he had amassed collections), nonsense verse and cartoons. But his extra-musical enthusiasms embraced also Romanesque churches, baroque architecture, literature, film and much more. The sum total was an artist who relished eccentricity yet focused on the inner essence, who countered a cerebral image with a delight in the whimsical, and above all who never ceased in his search for musical truth. In 1960 he married Iris Heymann-Gonzala, and they had a daughter, Doris. They divorced in 1972, and three years later he married Irene Semler. They lived in Hampstead, north London, and had three children: two daughters, Katharina and Sophie, in addition to Adrian. They divorced in 2012, and he is survived by his partner, Maria Majno, his four children and four grandchildren. Alfred Brendel, pianist, born 5 January 1931; died 17 June 2025
Buzz Feed
12-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Buzz Feed
27 Pieces Of Home Decor So Beautiful, Your Place Will Become The Inspo For Your Friends' Pinterest Boards
A set of colorful checkered hand towels because even though you love your all-white kitchen aesthetic, a little pop of color never hurts. These look great, feel super plush, and are super absorbent. A Baroque mirror — the mirror mirror on the wall that adds a touch of elegance and opens up a room. You can place it in your living room or entryway and get ready to feel like the fairest of them all whenever you check your look before heading out the door. A wooden beaded garland that will add a little spice to your coffee table or that vase you thrifted at Goodwill. It's simple yet chic, making it the perfect accent piece to add some boho vibes to your space. A chunky knit chenille throw blanket to add a bit of texture to your living space. It doesn't shed, is machine washable, and is 100% handmade. It's time to retire that old, ratty blanket because this throw is so cute, and you'll even love it when you're not snuggling up in it. And, a quilted chenille floor pillow perfect if you're looking for a plush place to sit or just a way to make your seating options a little bit more cozy looking. Not only do humans like it, but one reviewer's cat loves it too! A peel-and-stick wallpaper to spruce up that outdated tile or those weirdly painted walls. This is renter-friendly and makes it look like you put a LOT more effort into decorating than you really did. A splurge-worthy, hand-painted MacKenzie-Childs enamel tea kettle that will earn its spot as your pride and joy in your kitchen because who wouldn't want a cup o' tea after looking at this beautiful and functional appliance? An asymmetrical wood mirror to add some *character* to your plain guest bathroom or over your chest of drawers. Who knew mirrors could be such a statement piece? A Flowerbar that really sets the bar high for any other floral decor in your home. It's made from all-natural materials and will add a nice boho feel above your mantle or in your entryway. An LED floor lamp, which will definitely be a conversation starter because of how futuristic it looks. I mean we're in 2025, but this looks like it's straight from the Year 3000. Plus, it's dimmable, so you can switch from a bright influencer ring light to a soft glow when it's time to unwind. A floral Cuisinart Caskata set — not only does it have a beautiful unique pattern on the knife block... take a closer look to see the floral engravings on the actual knives! Small, fun things like this are what truly make a kitchen a "Pinterest-worthy kitchen!" A cloud coffee table that's just the right balance of being minimalist without giving up eye-catching decor for your friends to "ooh" and "ahh" at. If your head was in the clouds thinking about all the ways you can decorate a living room, look no further! A set of Monet posters to make your house feel like a mini museum with these charming nature scenes. Who needs MoMA when you've got it at your HoME-ah. A decorative rainbow window film perfect for those who want a little privacy, thank you very much, but also love feeling like their home is an enchanted getaway. Reviewers like how easy it is to install and how pretty it looks when the sun shines through juuust right. A tufted, boho chic duvet set that will make you want to keep your bedroom doors wide open when your friends and family come over. When they pass your room on their way to the bathroom, they won't be able to help but notice this gorgeous bedding. An artificial olive tree because you've got an eye for crafting a beautiful space... but a green thumb to keep real plants alive? Not so much. It'll add some greenery to the space without you worrying about when it will die. This reviewer even mentions that people ask if it's a real tree! A 100% jute rug — it's giving rustic farmhouse and coastal beach house, whatever is more your vibe. Its natural texture will make your room so much more inviting and it also doesn't hurt that it's pretty durable, too. A vintage-inspired washable area rug if you happen to get a little messy in the kitchen or have a little too much fun when your besties come over for wine night. Not only is it gorgeous, but you'll be amazed at how it looks like new after a quick toss in the laundry! A beautiful framed canvas painting so you can turn any room into an art gallery. Whether your vibe is still-life fruits, boho florals, or an abstract piece, you'll surely find something that suits your home. A mushroom table lamp to really lean into your mid-century modern aesthetic. It'll make your home look so snazzy and it definitely puts the FUN in funky home decor if that's your style. A handmade moon phase garland your guests will be ~over the moon~ for because this shows you know just how to decorate without going overboard. Whether it's above your couch, bed, or fireplace, this will be the ~star~ of your wall decor. A marvelous yarn tapestry for those who don't want to deal with configuring several art pieces on that large blank wall. It's super eye-catching and sure to make any guest reach for their phone to do a quick Google search so they can get one for themselves. Some velvet pillow covers to instantly add a moody vibe to any room. These oh-so-soft covers will make your sofa look like a place of royalty, so go ahead and take a nap because it's tough being a stellar decorator! A dimmable candle warmer, which adds an antique yet modern look to your desk or nightstand. It comes with not one but two halogen light bulbs, so you don't have to go out and find the right light bulb for this cozy decorative piece. As Kacey Musgraves once said, I'm alright with a slow burrrrnnnnn. A set of geode bookends to truly ~rock~ your bookshelf's world and add some pizzazz next to your favorite reads. Some reviewers say they use these as paperweights, too! A negative space vase because you're all about the minimalist look that will spark major conversations when your guests come over. No need for a big bouquet when a couple of stems in this beauty will do. Or, a darling strawberry vase that is just berry, berry cute. You can fill it with flowers, a leafy green houseplant, or kitchen tools!
New York Post
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
NYC penthouse with more than a dozen birch trees asks $5.99M
For those on the hunt for an oasis in the middle of Manhattan, a penthouse soon coming to market will deliver its next owner more than a dozen birch trees, wild grass, a plunge pool and more. The dreamy aerie will ask around $5.99 million when it hits the market. It first listed for $8 million last year. The seller, tech investment banker Tom O'Shea, bought the unit at 119 E. 29th St., near Madison Square Park, for $3.8 million in 2013. He then hired the architect and interior designer David Nosanchuk — who's also an artist — for an intense renovation. The inspirations: everything from the Museum of Modern Art's sculpture garden to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's red umbrellas for a retractable awning. Advertisement 7 Home to a number of trees, lounge areas are shaded — giving a true sense of escape. Courtesy of Tom O'Shea 7 Inspirations for the look included MoMA's sculpture garden. Courtesy of Tom O'Shea 7 Besides the greenery, the pool is a standout feature. Courtesy of Tom O'Shea At 2,100 square feet, the residence comes with three bedrooms and three baths, plus this magical rooftop with those 20-foot-high birch trees, two apple trees, an infinity-edge plunge pool, an outdoor shower, a 15-foot-high limestone fireplace, a summer kitchen, a green wall and a dining area. It's perfect for a summer-season hangout. Advertisement Along with the trees, the 1,300-square-foot rooftop is covered in a dazzling display of English ivy, passion flowers, pink and white mandevilla, trumpet flowers, akebia vines and morning glories. Tall Hakonechloa aureola 'Japanese forest' grass surrounds the trees. Nosanchuk also worked his magic on the terrace's night lighting. The idea was to create a secluded, serene forest retreat in the heart of the city, said O'Shea, managing director of Broadview Capital. 'New York is warm eight to nine months of the year, and with the fireplace, the terrace can can easily be enjoyed year-round — even in the rain, thanks to the awning,' O'Shea said. Advertisement But 'after 10 years and a divorce, it's time for a change,' O'Shea added, crediting Nosanchuk for 'opening his eyes to see beauty.' The two remain friends, and Nosanchuk credits O'Shea with 'supporting his vision.' Inside, there's a great room that leads to a chef's kitchen, a library with a study, and a main bedroom with a dressing area and an ensuite bath. 7 There's also room for outdoor dining. Courtesy of Tom O'Shea 7 The space even sparkles in the evening hours. Courtesy of Tom O'Shea Advertisement 7 The home's interior is just as chic as its exterior. Courtesy of Tom O'Shea 7 A view of the layout. Courtesy of Tom O'Shea The building dates to 1920. Amenities include a gym. The listing brokers will be Marlene Hamad and Mackenzie Kyle of Platinum Properties.
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Diane Arbus, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Born to the wealthy Nemerov family in New York in 1923, the photographer Diane Arbus married young and got her start helping her husband, Allan, shoot ads for her family's department store. After ending the collaboration — and her marriage — she turned to a unique kind of candid portraiture, shooting insightful, evasive, disquieting photographs, both of people she met on the street and of more unusual people, like circus performers, whom she sought out. Her work got her magazine commissions and artistic acclaim, including a central role in the 1967 Museum of Modern Art show 'New Documents.' But she made relatively few exhibition-quality prints, sold only four copies of her now iconic portfolio 'A Box of Ten Photographs' — which includes 'Identical Twins, Roselle, N.J.' and a Jewish giant at home in the Bronx — and in 1971, at the age of 48, she took her own life. Arthur Lubow, author of a biography of Arbus, wrote in 2003 that she was 'fearless, tenacious, vulnerable,' and people opened up to her. But as she said herself in Artforum in 1971: 'A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.' So it's no surprise that 'Diane Arbus: Constellation,' the largest show of Arbus's startling and mesmerizing photographs ever mounted, was unnerving, or that my first reflex was to search for something familiar. Now at the Park Avenue Armory, the exhibition includes every black-and-white silver gelatin print that the photographer Neil Selkirk has made from Arbus's negatives since her death in 1971. Arbus's companion, Marvin Israel, chose Selkirk to help prepare a monograph in the wake of her suicide, and he remains the only person Arbus's estate has ever allowed to print her photographs. Over five and a half decades this has amounted to 454 of the eerie and obsessive photographs that made her so famous: the twins, triplets, children in masks, nudists, men with tattoos or pins through their cheeks, sword swallowers, dancing couples and awkward celebrities. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Times
11-06-2025
- Times
The Peninsula New York: a Fifth Avenue stalwart that looks like a million dollars
New York's fabled Fifth Avenue has more than its fair share of swanky hotels, but few can compete with the Peninsula New York in the impeccability stakes. Anyone familiar with the Peninsula brand — and its flagship in Hong Kong in particular — will know that this is a place famous for an unapologetic approach to luxury. What sets the New York property apart is its location in the epicentre of the razzle dazzle of Manhattan's Midtown — steps away from Central Park, the Bergdorf Goodman department store, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). And while the Peninsula may have been around since 1988, the property has just undergone a full revamp and, oh boy, is she looking good. Service is Fifth Avenue-appropriate, meaning that staff will go out of their way to be of assistance — with just the right level of snootiness thrown in. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue Score 9/10The Peninsula's rooms have never looked better after a ten-month refurbishment by Bill Rooney Studio. The new look has a soft grey, taupe and gold colour palette with handy tech, including wireless chargers and bedside panels for temperature and light control. Every surface is new — from the wallpaper to the carpets, the ultra-plush mattresses and the silky smooth sheets — bar the original marble in the bathrooms. These are huge, with fun built-in TVs and sound systems, walk-in showers, deep soaking tubs and fluffy robes. Lower-floor rooms have some traffic noise, but the higher up you get the better the sleep quality — and the views. The basic Superior Rooms are spacious enough at 34 sq m — and feel even more so if you can score one on a light-filled high floor. The Deluxe Suites are the way to go if your budget allows. On floors 16 to 20 and measuring 98 sq m, they feel like elegant Manhattan apartments, with luxuriously furnished sitting rooms, decorative fireplaces, oversized walk-in wardrobes, lavish bathrooms, guest powder room — and views for days. Score 8/10 The Peninsula has four food and drink outlets. Breakfast, lunch and brunch are served at the mezzanine-level Clement Restaurant, which feels very Manhattan with its giant arched windows and white has a contemporary American menu ranging from healthy egg-white frittata with kale, tomato, asparagus and avocado to the decadent buttermilk pancakes topped with banana pecan. Brunch is an indulgent feast of pastries, waffles, eggs and sweet and savoury treats — even more so if you choose the boozy option (with a choice of bottomless cocktails — or champagne if you want to splash out). Dinner time is when things get a little trickier. The hotel's three bars — the Gotham Lounge, the 1920s-inspired Bar at Clement and the fabulous Pen Top indoor-outdoor rooftop, a destination in itself complete with Manhattan views to die for — all serve delicious and plentiful bar bites, but if you're looking for a full-on dinner, you're better off asking the concierge desk to book you into one of the many nearby restaurants. Score 8/10Opened in 1905 as the Gotham, the building that now houses the Peninsula was one of New York's original upscale hotels. Its revamp of the rooms and common spaces have maintained that joyful decadence. Peninsula hotels are renowned for their spas and the Peninsula New York is no exception. Treatments include relaxing massages, detoxifying body exfoliation, biolift facials to rejuvenate and lift the skin and mineral-rich body wraps. You can also sign up for yoga, meditation or fitness classes. Afterwards, you'll be ready for a drink at the Pen Top rooftop bar, which has become a place to see and be seen in Midtown with its million-dollar views, signature cocktails and bar bites. A retractable roof allows it to stay open year-round. The Peninsula's range of off-site activities includes tours of Midtown Manhattan's festive lights, private yacht cruises up the Hudson River, and private tours of the next-door MoMA before it opens to the public. The concierge desk knows how to score seats at the most sought-after restaurants, Broadway shows and sporting events, from Mets games to the US Open final. • Read our full guide to the US• New York v Toronto: which is better? Score 9/10Midtown may not be everyone's cup of tea, but first-time visitors or budding socialites will find no better location. Choose from an array of ritzy nearby food options, including the celebrity favourite the Polo Bar or Benoit — a Manhattan spin on the classic French bistro by the chef Alain Ducasse. Staying right on Fifth Avenue, across the road from Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana, and within strolling distance of the MoMA, St Patrick's Cathedral, Bergdorf Goodman department store, Central Park and the Rockefeller Center, you won't need to venture far for your shopping and sightseeing needs. The subway is two blocks away, for trips Downtown or to Brooklyn. The CityPASS from offers easy access to the Top of the Rock observation platform at the Rockefeller Center and other sights. Price room-only doubles from £759Restaurant mains from £30Family-friendly YAccessible Y Isabelle Kliger was a guest of the Peninsula New York ( • Best affordable hotels in New York• Best serviced apartments in New York
