Gerard Willems

Gerard Willems
Birth nameGerardus Maria Willems
Born (1946-08-19) August 19, 1946 (age 78)
Tilburg, Netherlands
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Classical Piano, clarinet

Gerard Willems AM (born Gerardus Maria Willems; 19 August 1946)[1] is a Dutch- Australian classical pianist and teacher.[2] He was the first Australian pianist to record the complete series of 32 piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven.[3] He also recorded Beethoven's five piano concertos, the Diabelli Variations, C minor variations, Andante favori, Für Elise and the 3 Electoral "Kurfürstensonaten" sonatas as well as a reconstructed "Fantasy Sonata in D".[4] These recordings feature the Australian designed and manufactured Stuart & Sons piano.[5] This series of recordings constitutes the largest classical music recording project ever undertaken in Australia,[6] and Willems became the best selling classical artist in Australia's recording history.[7]

  1. ^ Adamson, Judy (21 April 2007). "Piano man's keys to happiness". smh.com.au. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Gerard Willems | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Associate Professor Gerardus Willems -". sydney.edu.au. The University of Sydney. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Ludwig van Beethoven, Fantasia sonata in D (1792), Deest 45. Reconstruction: Cees Nieuwenhuizen". Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference age was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "ABC Classics Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor DVD Cat. No. 476 280-7 (or 4762807)". www.buywell.com. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  7. ^ "News | The University of Sydney". www.usyd.edu.au. Retrieved 23 January 2017.