Wilhelm Kempff; Major Interpreter of Beethoven

Wilhelm Kempff, the German composer and pianist whose interpretation of romantic and classical works influenced a generation of pianists, has died at his home on Italy’s southern coast. He was 95.

Kempff had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for 10 years and died Thursday, said his secretary, Annette von Bodeker.

“He was just very weak,” she said. Kempff was considered a major interpreter of the music of Beethoven.

His works as a composer included two symphonies, four operas and chamber music.

He toured extensively in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and was particularly popular in France.

Kempff was born in Jueterborg, near Berlin, on Nov. 25, 1895. He grew up in Potsdam and studied at Berlin University and the Berlin Music Academy.

After completing his studies, he began a rich concert career and was director of the Music Academy in Stuttgart for five years before returning to found a school in Potsdam in 1929.

He continued to tour well into old age. His last concert was in Paris in 1981, his secretary said.

He married Baroness Helen Hiller von Gaertringen in 1926. His secretary said Kempff’s wife died five years ago. He is survived by seven children.

Kempff had kept a home for more than 30 years in Positano, a picturesque town on the Bay of Salerno, 35 miles from Naples. In 1957, he started a school for promising pianists in Positano.

He moved permanently from Germany five years ago, the secretary said.