Alfred Brendel is a legend in his own lifetime. Now 73, he made his debut in 1949 and has been playing and winning prizes and medals ever since.

His recording of the Mozart and Beethoven piano concertos are never far from my hi-fi. And he is world-renowned for his interpretation of Beethoven, being the first pianist ever to record the complete piano works of the composer.

He is credited with establishing Schubert's Piano Sonatas and the Schoenberg Piano Concertos as part of the concert repertory.

He looks like an absent-minded professor he has a slight stoop from years hunched over a piano but still remains sprightly and plays like an angel.

He is the least flamboyant pianist I have ever seen, remaining still but sharply focused throughout his recital, and he rarely smiles. Subtlety and warmth are his hallmarks and he showed these to the full at his Glyndebourne recital for the Brighton Festival, where he performed works by Mozart, Robert Schumann, Schubert and Beethoven.

From his first piece, it was obvious he was going to get a richly deserved standing ovation.

Mozart's Nine Variations and On A Minuet by Dupont (K573) was written in the spring of 1789, when the composer visited the court of Wilhelm II at Potsdam.

Brendel clearly showed how Mozart must have thrilled everyone by his stylish changes of a piece Dupont had originally written for cello and bass.

Brendel used lots of colour and bags of technique, bringing the music alive whatever he did. Robert Schumann's Kreisleriana came out fresh and clean. The same happened with Schubert's miniature masterpieces, the Moments Musicaux (B780), numbers 1, 2 and 3.

But Brendel's finest playing was reserved for his interpretation of Beethoven's Pastoral Sonata, where he showed us his years of experience, producing a mesmerising reading of the piece.