Pianist Brendel to take final bow

Brendel will give his final performances on Wednesday and Thursday

Alfred Brendel, one of the world's greatest pianists, is giving his final public performances this week.

Brendel, 77, will take his final bow at the famous Golden Auditorium of Musikvereinbe, in Vienna, Austria, after 60 years on the concert stage.

He will perform Mozart's ninth piano concerto, K.271 in E-flat major - the Jenamy - with the Vienna Philharmonic later and on Thursday.

Brendel has described the piece as "one of the greatest wonders of the world".

Memory

Brendel was born in 5 January 1931 at Wiesenberg, northern Moravia - now the Czech Republic - and began studying the piano aged six.

He later studied the piano, composition and conducting in Zagreb and Graz, completing his piano studies with Edwin Fischer, Paul Baumgartner and Edward Steuermann.

Brendel cited his first musical memory as "winding up a gramophone playing opera records, and trying to sing along to it".

He gave his first public recital aged 17 and started touring after winning fourth place in the Busoni Competition in Italy in 1949. He began recording in the 1950s.

His repertoire has ranged from Bach to Schoenberg, but his main focus has been on Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart.

Brendel has been based in London since 1971.