2008 and out

Alfred Brendel, the 76-year-old Austrian pianist, long rated as one of the most authoritative interpreters of Mozart and Beethoven, has decided to quit performing at the end of next year, John von Rhein reports in The Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-pianist_personalsnov17,1,6351799.story?track=rss

(No word on whether the introduction of musical asphalt figured in Brendel's decision.)