Demus in 1972, dedicated photo from a South Africa tour
Jörg Wolfgang Demus (2 December 1928 – 16 April 2019) was an Austrian classical pianist who appeared internationally and made many recordings. He was also a composer and a lecturer at music academies. In composition and playing, he focused on chamber music and lieder. He played with singers such as Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, as a piano duo with Paul Badura-Skoda, and with string players such as Josef Suk and Antonio Janigro. Demus was instrumental in bringing the historic fortepiano to concert podiums. He was a member of the Legion of Honour, among many awards. He is regarded as one of the leading Austrian pianists of the immediate post-World War II era.[1][2][3]
In 1951, Demus made his first tour to South America and then appeared internationally in concert halls.[1] He appeared in England and France.[6] In 1972 he toured Southern Africa in all the major cities. In 1974, Demus performed for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston.[9]
His playing of Bach's works showed their structure as well as melodic lines. He favoured Schumann's music, revealing a high degree of playful levity besides romantic expressiveness. His playing of Debussy's music stands out in Klangsinn, a sense for a colourful impressionist sound world.[6] He collected historic keyboard instruments and presented them to a museum. He lectured at the music academies of Vienna and Stuttgart.[5]
Demus continued playing until shortly before his death, performing with Badura-Skoda at the 2018 Linz Brucknerfest.[2] He died in Vienna on 16 April 2019, aged 90, after a short illness.[5][2]
Composer
Demus was also a composer, chiefly of music for the piano, chamber music and lied, composing in a generally conservative style. Music for cello and piano takes its inspiration from the poems of Paul Verlaine and the late music by Schumann.[11] He also completed a fragmentary Piano Piece in C minor D. 916c by Schubert.[12]
Among the many recordings by Demus are sets of the complete piano works by both Robert Schumann and Claude Debussy. He also recorded Schubert's Impromptus on the Deutsche Grammophon label.[11] He made recordings on historical keyboard instruments, including, for example, the earliest such recording of Beethoven's "Waldstein" sonata in 1970, on a Broadwood dating from 1802.[14]
He recorded several of his own compositions with cellist Maria Kliegel, including Poetische Sonate (Poetic Sonata) in G minor, Op. 8, Liebe (Love), Op. 21, after Verlaine's Crimen Amoris, the Cello Sonata in C minor, "Il Tramonto", Op. 35, and Nacht der Sterne (Starry Night), Op. 14.[15]
