Renowned pianist and author Alfred Brendel will deliver the 12th annual Irving H. Jurow Lecture, a set of three talks on music’s performance, interpretation, and character, on Monday, October 18, Wednesday, October 20, and Thursday, October 21 in NYU’s Hemmerdinger Hall, Silver Center.
Renowned pianist and author Alfred Brendel will deliver the 12th annual Irving H. Jurow Lecture, a set of three talks on music’s performance, interpretation, and character, on Monday, October 18, Wednesday, October 20, and Thursday, October 21 in NYU’s Hemmerdinger Hall, Silver Center (enter at 32 Waverly Place or 31 Washington Place). All three events, which begin at 5:30 p.m., are free and open to the public. Please call 212.998.8100 for more information. Subway Lines: 6 (Astor Place); A, B, C, D, E, F (West 4th Street); R (8th Street).
- Monday, October 18, 5:30 pm: “Does Classical Music Have to be Entirely Serious?”
- Wednesday, October 20, 5:30 pm: “Character in Music”
- Thursday, October 21, 5:30 pm: “Performance and Interpretation”—Alfred Brendel in conversation with Michael Beckerman, Carroll and Milton Petrie Professor and Chair, NYU’s Department of Music; Paul Boghossian, Silver Professor of Philosophy at NYU; and Kit Fine, Silver Professor of Philosophy at NYU
Brendel has enjoyed a distinguished international career in music, concentrating on the works of central European composers from Bach to Schoenberg, but also featuring many works by Liszt. He was the first pianist to record Beethoven’s complete piano works and was highly influential in getting Schubert’s Piano Sonatas and the Schoenberg Piano Concerto recognized as integral parts of the piano repertoire. His final concert appearance was with the Vienna Philharmonic on December 18, 2008. He was named one of the 100 greatest cultural moments of the last 10 years by The Daily Telegraph. Besides music, literature has remained Brendel’s foremost interest and second occupation. He has published two books of essays, Musical Thoughts and Afterthoughts (1991) and Music Sounded Out (1990), the latter of which was awarded the 1990 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for writing. A volume of collected essays, Alfred Brendel on Music (2000), coincided with his 70th birthday. His other publications include: One Finger Too Many (1999); The Veil of Order (2002); Cursing Bagels (2004); and, most recently, Playing the Human Game (2010).
The Irving H. Jurow Lecture is the premier endowed annual event at NYU’s College of Arts and Science. It honors the memory of one of New York University’s most distinguished and most generous alumni, Irving H. Jurow, and brings to the university community, under the auspices of the College, leading intellectual and cultural figures.