Jörg Demus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jörg Demus
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Jörg Demus and his manager Manfred Jahn in 2016
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Jörg Wolfgang Demus
2 December 1928 St. Pölten, Lower Austria, Austria
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| Died | 16 April 2019 (aged 90) Vienna, Austria
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Jörg Wolfgang Demus (born December 2, 1928, died April 16, 2019) was a famous Austrian classical pianist. He played music all over the world and made many recordings. He was also a composer, writing his own music, and a teacher at music schools.
Demus often played lieder (German songs) and chamber music. Chamber music is played by a small group of musicians. He performed with famous singers like Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. He also played piano duets with Paul Badura-Skoda. Demus helped bring the historic fortepiano back to concert stages. The fortepiano is an early version of the piano. He received many awards, including being a member of the Legion of Honour. Many people consider him one of the best Austrian pianists after World War II.
Early life and education
Jörg Demus was born in St. Pölten, Austria. His father, Otto Demus, was an art historian. His mother was a concert violinist. Jörg started piano lessons when he was six years old.
At age 11, he joined the Vienna Academy of Music. There he studied piano, how to compose music, and how to conduct an orchestra. He played his first public concert at 15. He performed Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier in Vienna.
He finished his studies in 1945 when he was 17. After that, he continued to study conducting with Josef Krips and Hans Swarowsky. From 1951 to 1953, Demus studied piano in Paris with Yves Nat. He also took special classes with famous pianists like Wilhelm Kempff and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.
Pianist
In 1951, Demus went on his first tour to South America. After that, he performed in concert halls around the world. He played in England, France, and toured Southern Africa in 1972. In 1974, he performed in Boston, USA.
Demus often played as an accompanist for singers. He also played chamber music with other musicians. He performed with singers like Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. He also played with string musicians such as Josef Suk.
He was known for playing both modern pianos and older, historical instruments. He helped make the fortepiano popular again in concerts. Demus also worked with pianist Paul Badura-Skoda. They wrote a book together about how to play Beethoven's piano sonatas.
Demus played Bach's music in a way that showed its structure and beautiful melodies. He especially loved Schumann's music. He played it with a mix of playfulness and deep feeling. When he played Debussy's music, he created a rich, colorful sound.
He collected many old keyboard instruments. He later gave them to a museum. Demus also taught at music schools in Vienna and Stuttgart. He kept playing concerts until shortly before he passed away. His last performance was with Paul Badura-Skoda in 2018. Jörg Demus died in Vienna on April 16, 2019, at the age of 90.
Composer
Jörg Demus was also a composer. He mainly wrote music for the piano, chamber music, and songs (lieder). His style of composing was generally traditional. Some of his music for cello and piano was inspired by poems by Paul Verlaine.
Awards and prizes
In 1956, Demus won first prize at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. He received the Mozart Medal in 1979. In 2006, he was given the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art. He also won the Beethoven Ring in 1977 and the Robert Schumann Prize. He was awarded the Legion of Honour from France.
Recordings
Jörg Demus made many recordings. These include all the piano works by Robert Schumann and Claude Debussy. He also recorded Schubert's Impromptus for the Deutsche Grammophon label.
He made recordings using historical keyboard instruments. For example, in 1970, he made the first recording of Beethoven's "Waldstein" sonata on a Broadwood piano from 1802.
He also recorded some of his own compositions. He played these with cellist Maria Kliegel. These recordings include his Poetic Sonata and Love.
See also
In Spanish: Jörg Demus para niños
