The Music Plays On — Claudio Arrau

I have already mentioned the great Chilean pianist, Claudio Arrau, in my post about Beethoven’s Piano Sonata №30, Op. 109. While Arrau was considered one of the greatest interpreters of Beethoven, he was also considered one of the greatest interpreters of Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann….his breadth of repertoire was simply astounding!

Claudio Arrau lived a very long life, born in Chillan, Chile in 1903, and passing away in mid-tour in 1991. At the time of his death, he was recording the complete works of Bach, and preparing music by Haydn, Mendelssohn, Reger, Busoni, and Boulez.

In an article celebrating Arrau’s 60th birthday in 1963, the author writes, “it has been estimated that Arrau’s total repertoire would carry him through 76 recital evenings, not counting the 60-odd works with orchestra which he also knows.”

For most of his 88 years, he was in the public eye. At the age of four he gave his first public recital and at the age of six played for the president of Chile, Pedro Montt, who immediately afterwards began planning Arrau’s future education. A…