Wilhelm Backhaus won first prize in the 1905 Anton Rubinstein competition in Paris, beating out Béla Bartók and eliminating Otto Klemperer earlier in the proceedings.
Performer Biography
Unlike some contemporaries, Wilhelm Backhaus embraced recording early, making his first records in 1908 and the premiere recording of a piano concerto (Grieg A minor) in 1909.
Performer Biography
Wilhelm Backhaus's career as a prominent pianist spanned from his first major recital in 1899 until his final public concert in 1969, just one week before his death.
Performer Biography
At age twelve, Wilhelm Backhaus could transpose Bach's Preludes and Fugues at tempo into any key, earning him an endorsement from Arthur Nikisch, the famed conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
Interpretation
Vladimir Horowitz, a renowned pianist, considered Wilhelm Backhaus "a wonderful pianist, not really representative of the German style" due to his more relaxed approach.
Historical Context
Wilhelm Backhaus was appointed to a commission supervising Berlin music organizations in 1933 by Bernhard Rust, the Prussian Minister for Education, and met Adolf Hitler that same year.
Critical Reception
Despite his technical prowess, Wilhelm Backhaus's reserved stage presence led to initial struggles in the United States, where audiences remained "unconscious of his fabulous accomplishments."
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