Claudio Arrau

Claudio Arrau (1903-1991), Chilean pianist. Arrau's musical talent was revealed very young: he gave his first recital at the age of five. His parents moved to Santiago to ensure good teaching, and he advanced rapidly, until the Chilean government awarded him a grant to go to Berlin. Here, at the age of ten, he entered the class of Martin Krause (a pupil of Liszt) at the Stern Conservatory. The next year he gave a recital in the city before touring in Germany and Scandinavia. Arrau's exceptional playing soon earned him prizes, and he made a European tour at the age of 16. When he at last returned to South America in 1921, it was as a fully fledged concert pianist. Soon afterwards Arrau was back in Europe, now himself a teacher at the Stern Conservatory, and winning the Geneva International Prize in 1927. In the mid-1930s he embarked on an ambitious Bach series; over 1935 and 1936 he gave twelve concerts in Berlin playing all the composer's keyboard works. However, Arrau eventually left Germany in 1940 to open his own school in Santiago. A tour of America in 1941, his second appearance there, was greeted with enormous enthusiasm and the pianist eventually settled in the United States. He made many recordings, specializing in the piano music of Brahms and Liszt, and was especially admired for his performances of Beethoven. He recorded the Beethoven sonatas three times, the last time when in his eighties.