Paul Badura-Skoda, Piano

Paul Badura-Skoda is one of the most important pianists of our time: a legendary artist who has played in all the world's greatest concert halls and who was for years the pianist with the largest number of commercial recordings available in the market. His musical personality is characterized by complete immersion in music, a passionate search for its essence, and a sense of artistic responsibility.

In 1945 Badura-Skoda entered the Vienna Conservatory and two years later won first prize in the Austrian Music Competition and a scholarship which allowed him to study with Edwin Fischer. These years laid the foundation for Badura-Skoda's artistic future. In 1949 Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan became aware of Badura-Skoda's outstanding talent and invited him to perform with their orchestras. Practically overnight the young Viennese pianist became a world-famous artist.

Since then Badura-Skoda has been a regular and celebrated guest at the most important music festivals and a soloist with the world's most prestigious orchestras. In addition to Furtwängler and von Karajan, he has collaborated with such renowned conductors as George Szell, Karl Böhm, Zubin Mehta, Sir Georg Solti, and Lorin Maazel, among others.

Already with a vast repertoire on LP and disc, Paul Badura-Skoda continues recording, with recent releases on Astrée of the complete Beethoven Sonatas, his third recording of these pieces. Also recently released is a nine disc boxed set of previously unreleased recordings spanning Badura-Skoda's career from age 15 to 75, including his 75th Birthday concert in Vienna's Musikverein in 2003.

A pioneer in proposing the use of period pianos in performance, Badura-Skoda's profound knowledge of instruments from the time of Bach and Mozart up to the present, has given him the capacity to attain a quality of sound from modern instruments that is astounding. A noted Mozart specialist, he was featured in Mozart tributes throughout the world in 2006, performing concertos, recitals and lecture-demonstrations, celebrating the composer's 250th anniversary.

After a celebrated eleven-city tour in Spring 2003 marking the 50th Anniversary of his American debut, pianist Badura-Skoda dazzled audiences and critics with his consummate performances. Reviews across the U.S. consistently lauded the legend's mastery with headlines such as "Pianist weaves magic," "A stunning surprise," "Badura-Skoda warm and witty," "Pianist's insightful performances superb" and "Badura-Skoda gives peak performance." The tour began in February 2003 with an appearance with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players and a solo recital at Carnegie Hall, and culminated in a performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 with the Dallas Symphony. He returned to the US July 2003 as concert soloist and conductor at the Grand Teton Festival in Wyoming.

Paul Badura-Skoda continues to tour the world over, including the US, China, Japan, Singapore, France and Italy. He celebrated his 80th birthday during the 2007-08 season, with concerts in the US at the PianoTexas International Academy and Festival in Fort Worth, the Gateways Festival in Rochester, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.