Wilhelm Kempff was a German pianist and composer, one of the great keyboard artists of the twentieth century. He was especially associated with Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms.

In the Pristine catalogue he appears extensively in Beethoven, including the piano sonatas and concerto-related recordings from the early 1950s.

Kempff’s playing combined lyric inwardness, architectural poise and a poetic lightness of touch. His Beethoven often sings rather than declaims.

His page is essential. Kempff gives the piano shelf a voice of clear water, old German trees and quiet illumination.