András Schiff
András Schiff is among the most prominent members of a generation of Hungarian pianists born in the years following World War II, along with such artists as Zoltán Kocsis, Dezso Ránki, and Jenö Jandó. Of this remarkable group, Schiff has achieved the strongest international reputation, due not only to his decision to pursue his career outside of Hungary but also to his finely shaded sense of touch and his energetic yet clear treatment of contrapuntal textures.
Schiff was born in Budapest on December 21, 1953. He studied with composers Pál Kadosa and Ferenc Rados (saying of the latter that he had benefited from his overwhelmingly critical attitude), as well as harpsichordist George Malcolm. Schiff made his debut in Budapest at age 19 and was soon making concert appearances throughout Europe and the U.S., despite Iron Curtain-era restrictions. He took the top prize at the 1974 Moscow competition and the 1975 Leeds Festival. A major early mentor was violinist and conductor Sándor Végh, with whom Schiff recorded the complete piano concertos of Mozart and much violin-and-piano chamber music. In 1989, he founded his own Mondsee Musiktage festival near Salzburg (where he had first encountered Végh). Schiff also formed his own ensemble, Cappella Andrea Barca, in 1999, and with it, recorded a complete cycle of Mozart's piano concertos.
Schiff's energy and clarity in contrapuntal music has made him a top Bach interpreter; he has recorded Bach's complete keyboard music. Later, he recorded a complete Beethoven sonata cycle on the boutique label ECM, completing it in 2009. He has also recorded a large amount of music by Schubert and Schumann, receiving a prize in 2011 from the city of Zwickau, Germany, for his interpretations of the latter. Eastern European music by the likes of Béla Bartók and Leos Janácek have also appeared prominently in his repertory. He left Hungary in 1979 and spoke out forcefully against developments there, stating that he would never again set foot in his homeland, alluding to physical dangers he would face if he did. He renounced his Austrian citizenship, which he had taken in 1987, also for political reasons, and is now a British citizen.
In the 2000s, he often revisited Bach repertory that he had previously recorded. Schiff has held several prestigious residencies: from 2004 to 2007, he was Artist-in-Residence of the Kunstfest Weimar; in the 2007-2008 season, he was Pianist-in-Residence of the Berlin Philharmonic; and in 2011-2012, he was a Perspectives Artist of Carnegie Hall in New York. Schiff is married to violinist Yuuko Shiokawa, with whom he has recorded violin-and-piano repertory for ECM. In addition to ECM, Schiff's large discography includes albums on the Decca, London, and Teldec labels as well as others. In the 2010s, despite earlier skepticism about the trend, he began to perform and record on the fortepiano, often using a Viennese instrument of 1820 built by the lesser-known maker Franz Brodmann. On that instrument, he released an album of Schubert Impromptus and the Piano Sonata in C minor, D. 958, in 2019. He returned on ECM with an album of Brahms piano concertos in 2021 and with J.S. Bach: Clavichord in 2023. By that time, Schiff's recording catalog comprised well over 150 items.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Beethoven: Complete Music for Piano and Violoncello
Classica - Pubblicato da ECM New Series il 1 gen 2004
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Schubert: Piano Sonatas; Impromptus
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 2011
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Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2; Songs without words
András Schiff, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Charles Dutoit
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1999
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The English Suites; Suites Nos.1 - 6
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1988
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Robert Schumann: Geistervariationen
Classica - Pubblicato da ECM New Series il 26 ago 2011
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Bach, J.S.: Concerti BWV 1052-58
András Schiff, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Marieke Blankestijn
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1990
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Bach: Complete Keyboard Concertos
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 2010
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Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1988
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Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20; Concerto for 2 Pianos; Concerto for 3 Pianos
Daniel Barenboim, András Schiff, Sir Georg Solti, English Chamber Orchestra
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1990
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Dvořák: Piano Quintet, Op. 81 & Piano Quartet, Op. 87
András Schiff, Panocha Quartet
Classica - Pubblicato da Warner Classics il 1 mar 1999
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Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas, Volume II (Live)
Classica - Pubblicato da ECM New Series il 10 mar 2006
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Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 - 3
Classica - Pubblicato da Warner Classics International il 13 dic 1996
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Schubert: Schwanengesang
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 13 mar 1990
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Dvorák: Piano Concerto / Schumann: Introduction & Allegro Appassionato
András Schiff, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1986
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Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos.21 & 20
András Schiff, Camerata Salzburg, Sándor Végh
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 2 set 1991
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Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 8 & 11; Concert Rondo, K. 386
András Schiff, Camerata Salzburg, Sándor Végh
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 apr 1993
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Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 17 & 18
András Schiff, Sándor Végh, Camerata Salzburg
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1985
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Wigmore Hall Live - Schubert Songs
Classica - Pubblicato da Wigmore Hall Live il 1 gen 2006
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Bach, J.S.: Italian Concerto; Four Duets; French Overture etc.
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1993
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Bach & Mozart: András Schiff
Classica - Pubblicato da UME - Global Clearing House il 15 feb 2023
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Bach, J.S.: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier I
Classica - Pubblicato da Decca Music Group Ltd. il 1 gen 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo