Brendel was an artist with greater charm in private than in public, who seemed an unlikely superstar in an age that often favoured dazzle and bravura over gravitas and determination. He could be nervous, jittery even. Being neither a perfectionist nor a virtuoso, he had to fight for each piece. However, his strength came directly from that struggle. Nevertheless, in his continual search for musical truth he never heard a performance that completely satisfied him, and never played one that completely satisfied him either. In keeping with his love of the absurd and, in a sense, answering his own question about whether or not classical music should be serious, he enjoyed pointing out that the word “listen” is an anagram of “silent”.