Walter Klien

Walter Klien was an Austrian pianist who was known for his interpretations of the piano music of Schubert. His association with the VOX record label led to a massive recorded legacy, but also contributed to his obscurity. He was born in 1928, in Graz, Austria, to the artist Erika Giovanna Klien. She initially hid her son's birth from her family, and in 1929 she emigrated to the U.S. to pursue her career as an artist and educator. Klien began playing the piano when he was five years old. He received his first piano instruction in Frankfurt, and then studied piano, composition, ...