融合音樂、思想與表演的風範：音樂哲學家布蘭德爾辭世

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　　「我從未想寫自傳，因為我太誠實了，會說出真話。而音樂比我本人有趣得多。」帶著一貫的幽默與理性思維，鋼琴家布蘭德爾（Alfred Brendel）曾經這樣說。二○二五年六月十七日，這位布蘭德爾在倫敦家中安詳辭世，享壽九十四歲。他留下的不僅是大量錄音與文字，更是一種融合音樂、思想與表演的態度與風範。

　　布蘭德爾的音樂啟蒙並非來自傳統的嚴格訓練，而是透過斷續的學習與自我摸索，逐步培養出對音樂的熱情與獨立性。他一九三一年出生於捷克斯洛伐克，雖然父母都不是音樂家，卻鼓勵他學習鋼琴與繪畫，也讓他透過唱片接觸音樂。只是出生在兩次世界大戰間的動盪不安年代，布蘭德爾自小就必須跟隨家人輾轉流離於南斯拉夫與奧地利之間，難以穩定接受鋼琴課程，學習時常中斷。他曾說：「我從沒真正接受系統化的音樂教育，這反而教我懷疑一切未經自己思考的說法。」

　　戰後，布蘭德爾定居奧地利格拉茨（Graz），在當地音樂學院學習鋼琴、作曲與指揮，展現出對音樂的多面向興趣。但是十六歲那一年，布蘭德爾決定停止正規鋼琴課程，選擇以參加大師班的方式，培養自由探索的音樂思維。除此之外，青少年時期的布蘭德爾還熱衷於繪畫，特別是水彩畫，並且經常到住家對面的公共圖書館閱讀文學或哲學等相關書籍。雖然後來停止繪畫，但是這段經歷影響他對音樂色彩與音色的敏感度；大量閱讀則為他日後的寫作奠定基礎，影響他把音樂與哲學、思想結合的藝術觀。十七歲在格拉茨舉辦第一場獨奏會時，布蘭德爾自己擬定「鋼琴文獻中的賦格」（The Fugue in Piano Literature）這個標題，並且在當地畫廊展出自己的水彩作品。

　　布蘭德爾年輕時的藝術實踐與思考方式，已預示他日後對音樂的獨立詮釋觀。他不迷信傳統師承，也不倚賴比賽加冕來建立名聲。雖然一九四九年曾經參加布梭尼國際鋼琴大賽，但他始終不把比賽視為藝術道路的正當起點。他早年與VOX與Turnabout等唱片公司合作，錄製許多當時被忽視的冷門作品，例如李斯特晚期的沉思性小品、布梭尼的鋼琴改編曲，以及貝多芬、海頓、舒伯特的完整奏鳴曲集。他不以演奏「受歡迎曲目」作為出發點，而是堅持探索作品本身的價值與邏輯，從結構、語言與表達方式去尋求與作曲家的對話。

　　真正讓布蘭德爾得到重視，是他與飛利浦唱片公司合作錄製的大量德奧經典曲目，其中包括三次錄製完整的貝多芬鋼琴奏鳴曲全集、四度灌錄貝多芬五首鋼琴協奏曲，以及多部莫札特與舒伯特作品。他的演奏並非追求炫技或情緒的直接抒發，而是實踐「讓音樂說話」。他曾說：「我的責任，是忠於作曲家的精神，而非投射我個人的感受。」──他更關心句法、結構、邏輯與節奏呼吸的張力，而非音樂表面上的激動或浪漫色彩；這樣的理念貫穿於他的整個鋼琴生涯。

　　布蘭德爾並不排斥情感，只是他認為情感必須透過形式與深思熟慮的語言傳達。他曾經以舒伯特作品為例，那些看似平靜流動的旋律，其實內部蘊藏著思緒的斷裂與痛楚，而這種表象與內在的「二元性」，需要演奏者具備處理對比與節制感性的能力。他關注如何表現音樂的推進與對比，而非單純情緒的飽和與堆疊。這種理性且富於哲思的詮釋方式，使得他的演奏獨樹一格，也讓他的錄音成為許多樂迷理解作品結構與精神的範本。

　　雖然布蘭德爾於二○○八年十二月宣布退休，他並未從音樂世界全然抽離。相反地，他將更多精力投注於文字與思想的探究，轉向其他形式的藝術與教育活動。他出版詩集與散文，包括《One Finger Too Many》、《Cursing Bagels》與《A Pianist’s A–Z》等書，語調一如他演奏風格般，結合幽默、洞察與節制。他在訪談中曾說：「我的詩是一種對荒謬的回應，音樂則是對秩序的追尋。」這樣的觀點恰好呼應他演奏中對邏輯與結構的執著，也展現出他對世界觀察的廣度。

　　除了寫作，布蘭德爾也回到年輕時喜愛的水彩畫創作，晚年甚至舉辦過畫展。他形容繪畫是「視覺上的即興練習」，與音樂雖無直接關聯，但同樣需要對比例、空間與色彩的敏銳感受。他認為繪畫與演奏最大的不同是：「音樂會流動，但畫面能定格你的直覺。」

　　在這段時期中，布蘭德爾與鋼琴家周善祥（Kit Armstrong）之間建立起深厚的私人情誼，並經常有深層的對話。周善祥自青少年時期便受到布蘭德爾的關注與指導，兩人不僅以師徒相稱，也經常一同討論文學、數學與藝術史等議題。布蘭德爾稱周善祥是「擁有多重維度的思考者」，並欣賞他在演奏中結合理性與創意的能力。周善祥則表示，布蘭德爾的影響不在於傳授技術，而在於啟發他「如何從作品出發，而不是從自己出發」。

　　布蘭德爾曾以講者、詩人與樂評人的身分登台，他說：「我無法想像被音樂完全吞沒，那會讓我無法呼吸。我之所以選擇音樂，是因為我相信這是我自由選擇的結果，而不是被命運註定。」他的逝世讓我們失去了一位令人敬重的音樂思想者，但也提醒我們，真正偉大的演奏者，不只留下聲音，更留下了理解音樂的方式。

“I have never wanted to write an autobiography because I am too honest and would tell the truth. And music is much more interesting than I am.” With his characteristic humor and rational perspective, pianist Alfred Brendel once said this. On June 17, 2025, Brendel passed away peacefully at his home in London at the age of 94. He left behind not only a vast collection of recordings and writings but also an attitude and approach that intertwined music, thought, and performance.

Brendel’s musical journey did not begin with traditional rigorous training but through sporadic lessons and self-exploration, gradually fostering his passion and independence in music. Born in 1931 in Czechoslovakia, his parents were not musicians but encouraged him to learn piano and painting, and he discovered music through records. However, growing up in the turbulent years between the two world wars, Brendel had to move frequently with his family across Yugoslavia and Austria, making it difficult to maintain consistent piano lessons, which were often interrupted. He once said, “I never really received systematic musical education, which taught me to question everything I hadn’t thought through myself.” 

After the war, Brendel settled in Graz, Austria, where he studied piano, composition, and conducting at the local conservatory, showing a multifaceted interest in music. At 16, he decided to stop formal piano lessons, opting instead to attend masterclasses to nurture a free, exploratory approach to music. During his teenage years, Brendel was also passionate about painting, particularly watercolors, and frequently visited the public library across from his home to read literature and philosophy. Although he later stopped painting, this experience heightened his sensitivity to musical color and tone, while his extensive reading laid the foundation for his future writing, shaping his view of music as intertwined with philosophy and thought. At 17, during his first recital in Graz, Brendel chose the title “The Fugue in Piano Literature” and exhibited his watercolor paintings at a local gallery.

Brendel’s early artistic practices and ways of thinking foreshadowed his later independent approach to musical interpretation. He did not rely on traditional mentorship or seek fame through competition accolades. Although he participated in the Busoni International Piano Competition in 1949, he never saw competitions as the legitimate starting point for an artistic career. In his early years, he collaborated with labels like VOX and Turnabout, recording many overlooked or lesser-known works, such as Liszt’s introspective late pieces, Busoni’s piano transcriptions, and complete sonata cycles by Beethoven, Haydn, and Schubert. Rather than focusing on popular repertoire, he insisted on exploring the intrinsic value and logic of each work, seeking a dialogue with the composer through structure, language, and expression.

Brendel gained widespread recognition through his recordings of German and Austrian classics with Philips Records, including three complete cycles of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, four recordings of Beethoven’s five piano concertos, and numerous works by Mozart and Schubert. His playing was not about virtuosic display or direct emotional outpouring but about “letting the music speak.” He said, “My responsibility is to be true to the composer’s spirit, not to project my personal feelings.” He focused more on phrasing, structure, logic, and the tension of rhythmic flow than on the surface excitement or romantic color of the music, an approach that defined his entire piano career.

Brendel did not reject emotion; he believed it must be conveyed through form and thoughtful expression. Using Schubert as an example, he noted that seemingly tranquil, flowing melodies often conceal inner fractures and pain, and this “duality” between surface and substance requires performers to balance contrast and emotional restraint. He was concerned with how music conveys progression and contrast, rather than merely saturating or piling on emotions. This rational yet philosophical interpretive style made his performances distinctive and his recordings a model for many music lovers to understand the structure and spirit of works.

When Brendel announced his retirement in December 2008, he did not entirely withdraw from the musical world. Instead, he devoted more energy to exploring writing and thought, turning to other forms of art and education. He published poetry collections and essays, including One Finger Too Many, Cursing Bagels, and A Pianist’s A–Z, written in a tone that mirrored his playing style—combining humor, insight, and restraint. In an interview, he said, “My poetry is a response to absurdity, while music is a pursuit of order.” This perspective echoes his dedication to logic and structure in performance and reveals the breadth of his worldview.

Beyond writing, Brendel returned to his youthful love of watercolor painting, even holding exhibitions in his later years. He described painting as “a visual improvisation,” distinct from music but similarly requiring a keen sense of proportion, space, and color. He noted, “Music flows, but a painting can freeze your intuition.” 

During this period, Brendel formed a deep personal friendship and meaningful dialogue with pianist Kit Armstrong. Armstrong, mentored by Brendel since his teenage years, was not only a student but also a partner in discussions about literature, mathematics, and art history. Brendel called Armstrong “a thinker with multiple dimensions,” admiring his ability to blend rationality and creativity in performance. Armstrong, in turn, said Brendel’s influence was not about teaching technique but about inspiring him “to start from the work itself, not from oneself.” 

Brendel appeared as a lecturer, poet, and music critic, saying, “I cannot imagine being completely consumed by music; that would suffocate me. I chose music because I believe it was my free choice, not my destiny.” His passing leaves us without a revered musical thinker but reminds us that truly great performers leave not only their sound but also a way of understanding music.