He was born in Lucerne, and studied in Switzerland, Germany and France where his teachers included Karl Leimer, Walter Gieseking and Marguerite Long.
Alongside his performing work, Ferber had an active teaching career, gaining early experience in Italy where he deputised for his former teacher Karl Leimer.
[citation needed] Ferber's performing career developed in England through a series of Wigmore Hall recitals in the late 1940s and early 1950s, many of which were managed by James Ching Ltd. A successful BBC audition in 1945 led to a concerto appearance for the Corporation and then to engagements with Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Josef Krips and the Hallé Orchestra, and further work with Sir Adrian Boult, Sergiu Celibidache, Jascha Horenstein and Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt.
In the UK he made regular recital appearances in London at the Queen Elizabeth and Wigmore Halls and continued to broadcast for the BBC until illness ended his performing career.
He also appeared as accompanist to Alexander Kipnis in Schubert's Winterreise (at the age of 18) and as chamber musician, playing with Henryk Szeryng (violin) and Ernesto Xancó (cello) in duos, and with both artists in trios.
Albert Ferber's playing is well represented on disc, one of his earliest LP recordings, of Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words and Schumann's Kinderscenen, appearing in 1951 for Decca.
In the same year he made a live recording of Brahms's Variations on a Theme of Haydn for two pianos, partnering Adelina de Lara at her ‘farewell’ Wigmore Hall concert.
Despite some resurgence of interest in the 21st century, as Robin O’Connor formerly of Saga Records observes, the pianist is now almost unknown.4 Ferber's performing style was tasteful, intelligent and unpretentious, devoid of self-serving gesture.
His recording of the Balakirev sonata, the finale in particular, demonstrates that his playing was sometimes technically fallible, but he could always identify with the style and underlying spirit of a work and, in concert, his performances seemed to convey musical essence rather than pianistic ego.