When Alfred Brendel was at his peak as a performer, the classical music industry was still going strong. In a happy coincidence, the compact disc appeared just as he had reached maturity, and allowed him to go back and document much of his core repertoire in clean, modern recordings.

By extension, he was a regular presence on classical radio, and millions became familiar with him through his interpretations of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, and perhaps most interestingly, Schoenberg.

Not always credited with being the most adventurous artist, he was invariably a thoughtful one. He made the first recording of Liszt’s “Weihnachtsbaum” (“Christmas Tree”), back in 1952, and unexpectedly, his first appearance on disc was as soloist in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 5. He was the first artist to record the complete piano works of Beethoven. He went on to document the complete sonatas no less than three times.

Late in his career, he struggled against arthritis. When he retired in 2008, at the age of 78, he was at the top of his game, one of the few classical artists still guaranteed to pack halls. He appeared at Carnegie Hall no less than 81 times. Twice, he performed the complete Beethoven sonatas there.

Bespectacled, crowned with a disheveled widow’s peak, and improbably tall and lank, Brendel often looks all the world like an absent-minded professor. His interpretations have sometimes been criticized for being “cold” or “cerebral.” But the man, better-read than most, also possesses a keen sense of humor. He is a fan of Edward Gorey and Charles Addams and Gary Larson. He collects kitsch and newspaper bloopers. He has gone on record as stating that his favorite occupation is laughing.

Alongside his many thoughtful essays on musical subjects (including at least one on humor in music), he published two volumes of epigrammatic poetry, “One Finger Too Many” and “Cursing Bagels.”

Happy birthday, Alfred Brendel, 90 years-old today.

PHOTO: Brendel, flanked by Liszt (left) and Eugene Jardin’s whimsical “Gipsbrendel”