Käbi Laretei

Who is Käbi Laretei?

Käbi Alma Laretei is an Estonian-born Swedish concert pianist.

Her father was a diplomat in the service of the Republic of Estonia; when the Soviet Union invaded the country he and his family fled to Sweden. Laretei has had a long and distinguished career as a pianist and in the 1960s. She has played to packed halls in the United Kingdom, Sweden, West Germany and the United States; she is also known for her marriage to and professional collaborations with film director Ingmar Bergman. They met in the late 1950s, were married in 1959 and divorced in 1969, though the marriage was effectively over by 1966. His 1961 film Through a Glass Darkly is dedicated to Laretei. They had a son, Daniel Bergman, who is also a film director.

Laretei has continued to play in concert and give musical consultation on the set of some of her former husband's films and even appears playing the piano in a scene of Fanny and Alexander. She took an early interest in the TV medium, has hosted many programmes on literature and music on Swedish TV and since En bit jord has published a number of books on life and music, the latest being Såsom i en översättning.