Cyprien Katsaris
Cyprien Katsaris is a Contemporary French pianist known for his effortless technique and masterful control of voicing, phrasing, and dynamics. He is also a passionate champion for forgotten and neglected composers. He was born in Marseilles, France in 1951, and he started playing the piano when he was four years old. He spent his childhood in Cameroon, where he attended the local school, and he studied piano with Marie-Gabrielle Louwerse. Later, he enrolled at the Paris Conservatory, where his piano professors were Aline van Barentzen and Monique de la Bruchollerie, and he received instruction in chamber music from René Leroy and Jean Hubeau. He made his debut in Paris in 1966, with the Orchestre Symphonique d'Ile-de-France and conductor René-Pierre Chouteau. Katsaris excelled at the conservatory, and he earned first prizes for piano in 1969 and chamber music in 1970. After he won the first prize at the International Cziffra Competition in 1974, he started to receive invitations to perform at major venues throughout the world, with giants such as Leonard Bernstein, Antal Dorati, and many others. He was awarded the International Young Interpreters Rostrum-UNESCO in 1977, and in 1978 he toured with the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra. He began working with the Teldec record label in the early '80s, and he recorded all nine of Liszt’s piano transcriptions of Beethoven’s symphonies, which are some of the most technically challenging works for the instrument. Katsaris was awarded Grand Prix di Disque awards in 1984, 1985, and 1989, and he continued a busy schedule of recording and touring through the '90s. He also appeared in a Japanese documentary series on Frederic Chopin, produced by NHK TV in 1992. Five years later, he became an Artist of UNESCO for Peace. Katsaris founded the PIANO 21 label in 2001 as a platform to produce recordings from his personal archives, reissues, and lesser-known works. Since its creation, he has released around 40 albums on the PIANO 21 label. During a recital performance in Berlin in 2012, he suffered a stroke and temporarily lost sensation in the left side of his body, but he made a full recovery by the following day, which he attributed to his faith in Scientology. In the 2020s, Katsaris remains very active in his career as a performer and recording artist. His 2022 release Saint-Saëns: Piano Transcriptions on the PIANO 21 label was picked by Gramophone as one of the best solo piano recordings of 2022: Editor’s Choice. In 2023, he performed recitals around Europe, which incorporated improvised works, and he also appeared on the album Mozart: Don Juan in transcription for piano solo by Bizet.
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Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Version for Voice and Piano)
Cyprien Katsaris, Brigitte Fassbaender, Thomas Moser
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Warner Classics International on May 18, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt, Beethoven: Beethoven Symphonies, S. 464
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Jan 1, 1990
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Papaïoannou: 24 Préludes pour piano - Constantinidis: 8 Danses des îles grecques - Levidis: Erste griechische romantische Sonate
Classical - Released by Melism on Mar 25, 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances & 16 Waltzes for Piano Four Hands
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 24, 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cyprien Katsaris - The Sony Recordings
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on May 15, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: The Six Viennese Sonatinas
Classical - Released by Pavane Records on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances & 16 Waltzes for Piano Four Hands
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 24, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: 19 Waltzes
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Jan 30, 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt : 4 Mephisto Waltzes, Bénédiction & Variations on 'Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen'
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Jan 1, 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: 4 Ballades & 4 Scherzos
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on May 1, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Auf Flügeln Des Gesanges. Romantic Songs
Christoph Prégardien, Cyprien Katsaris
Lieder (German) - Released by Challenge Classics on Oct 5, 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Keyboard Concertos, BWV 1052, 1054, 1056 & 1057
Cyprien Katsaris, Janos Rolla, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Sep 1, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Concerto for Piano and Strings
Cyprien Katsaris, Kurt Masur & Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Jan 1, 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Sonate No. 21, D. 960 - Beethoven: Sonate No. 12, Op. 26
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 12, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Liszt: Symphony No. 3 - Beethoven: Eroica Variations, Op. 35
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Nov 15, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hope For an Ideal Ocean (Inspired by ‘The Outlaw Ocean’ a book by Ian Urbina)
New Age - Released by The Outlaw Ocean LLC on Mar 5, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Fantasias & Piano Sonatas Nos. 7 & 14
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Apr 1, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Latin American Piano, Vol. 1 (Julio Ituarte - Luis J. Jorda - Juventino Rosas)
Classical - Released by Urtext on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3, Variations in D Minor & 2 Rhapsodies
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Apr 16, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 83
Cyprien Katsaris, Eliahu Inbal, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Aug 1, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Melodies De Berlioz, Lalo, Liszt, Massenet, Saint-Saens, Vierne
Cécile Eloir, Cyprien Katsaris
Classical - Released by Saphir Productions on Feb 21, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo