András Schiff
Sir András Schiff was born in Budapest in 1953 and began playing the piano at the age of five. Aged 14 he began formal studies at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt Academy with teachers who included György Kurtág and later studied under George Malcolm in London, the city he has made his home. Success in major piano competitions (Tchaikovsky (1974) and Leeds (1975)) brought him to international attention and launched his career as a recording and concert artist.
After making a number of recordings for Hungarian label Hungaroton, Schiff had a long relationship with Decca for whom he recorded, inter al, landmark cycles of Mozart’s piano concertos and sonatas and many works by Bach. Schiff came to ECM in the late 1990s to record a recital of two-piano music by Mozart, Reger and Busoni with Peter Serkin. Since then he has become a New Series exclusive artist and brought to the label distinguished [...]
Sir András Schiff was born in Budapest in 1953 and began playing the piano at the age of five. Aged 14 he began formal studies at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt Academy with teachers who included György Kurtág and later studied under George Malcolm in London, the city he has made his home. Success in major piano competitions (Tchaikovsky (1974) and Leeds (1975)) brought him to international attention and launched his career as a recording and concert artist.
After making a number of recordings for Hungarian label Hungaroton, Schiff had a long relationship with Decca for whom he recorded, inter al, landmark cycles of Mozart’s piano concertos and sonatas and many works by Bach. Schiff came to ECM in the late 1990s to record a recital of two-piano music by Mozart, Reger and Busoni with Peter Serkin. Since then he has become a New Series exclusive artist and brought to the label distinguished partnerships with Juliane Banse (Songs of Debussy and Mozart), Yuuko Shiokawa (Schubert fantasies) and fellow Hungarian Miklós Perényi (Beethoven’s cello sonatas). In addition he has recorded solo albums devoted to Bach (Goldberg Variations, Das Wohltempierte Clavier, partitas), Beethoven (the complete piano sonatas and two versions of the Diabelli Variations), Schubert, Schumann and Janáček.
The complete Beethoven sonata cycle – one of Schiff's most ambitious and critically acclaimed projects to date – was performed in 20 major musical centres worldwide and recorded for ECM in concert at the Zürich Tonhalle. Of this cycle, he has said: "For me, these sonatas are the most stupendous journey. They give a complete picture of how Beethoven developed though his creative life."
Schiff has long been concerned with period performance practice but at first the musical results of the research into authentic sound left him unconvinced. Since then his initial qualms have given way to a gusto for period instruments. A change of heart was prompted above all by his experience with Mozart's hammerklavier, which he was allowed to play in the house where the composer was born in Salzburg – 'at once a privilege and an unforgettable experience'.
András Schiff is also actively involved in orchestral music as both conductor and soloist. In 1999 he created his own chamber orchestra, the Cappella Andrea Barca, consisting of international soloists, chamber musicians and friends. He also works regularly with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Schiff has been the recipient of a host of international awards and prizes, including Grammy and Gramophone awards, the Bartók Prize, the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize and the Robert Schumann Prize. He is also highly regarded as a pedagogue and lecturer on music.
Read moreRead less
| YEAR | DATE | Artist | VENUE | LOCATION | |
| 2024 | October 13 | András Schiff | Wigmore Hall | London, United Kingdom | Event |
| 2024 | October 15 | András Schiff | RIAM - Whyte Recital Hall | Dublin, Ireland | Event |
| 2024 | October 17 | András Schiff | Liederhalle | Stuttgart, Germany | Event |
| 2024 | October 21 | András Schiff | Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation | Lisboa, Portugal | Event |
| 2024 | October 25 | András Schiff | Stadthaus | Winterthur, Switzerland | Event |
| 2024 | October 30 | András Schiff | Salle Métropole | Lausanne, Switzerland | Event |
| 2024 | November 02 | András Schiff | Dvorák Hall - Rudolfinum | Prague, Czechia | Event |
| 2024 | November 08 | András Schiff | Wigmore Hall | London, United Kingdom | Event |
| 2024 | November 14 | András Schiff | Assembly Rooms | Bath, United Kingdom | Event |
| 2024 | November 18 | András Schiff | Konzerthaus | Vienna, Austria | Event |
| 2024 | November 21 | András Schiff | Heinrich-Lades-Halle | Erlangen, Germany | Event |
| 2024 | November 23 | András Schiff | Philharmonie | Paris, France | Event |
| 2024 | November 25 | András Schiff | Philharmonie | Cologne, Germany | Event |
| 2025 | February 28 | András Schiff | Pierre Boulez Saal | Berlin, Germany | Event |
| 2025 | May 18 | András Schiff | Herkulessaal | Munich, Germany |