Elisabeth Leonskaya

For decades, Elisabeth Leonskaja has been among the most celebrated pianists of our time. In a world dominated by the media, Elisabeth Leonskaja has remained true to herself and her music and, in doing so, follows in the footsteps of the great Russian musicians of the Soviet era, such as Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels, who never questioned their approach to the quintessence of music despite working in a difficult political environment. Her legendary modesty still feels shy in the face of the press. And yet, as soon as she appears on stage, the audience can feel her strength behind the fact that music is, and always will be, the most important thing in her life.
Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, into a Russian family, she was considered a child prodigy and gave her first concerts at the age of eleven. Her exceptional talent immediately led her to study at the Moscow Conservatory. While still a student at the Conservatory, she was awarded prizes at the prestigious Enescu, Marguerite Long, and Queen Elisabeth piano competitions.
Her musical development was largely shaped or influenced by her collaboration with Sviatoslav Richter. The maestro recognised her exceptional talent, fostering it not only through teaching and advising, but also by inviting her to play in duo with him, which was a memorable musical event. Leonskaja continued with Richter until his death in 1997. In 1978, Elisabeth Leonskaja left the Soviet Union and made Vienna her new home. Her sensational performance at the Salzburg Festival in 1979 marked the beginning of her increasingly brilliant career as a concert pianist worldwide.
She has performed as a soloist with almost all of the world’s most important orchestras: the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Gewandhausorchester of Leipzig, the radio orchestras of Hamburg, Cologne and Munich, the Czech Philharmonic, etc., performing under the baton of the most prestigious conductors such as Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph von Dohnányi, Kurt Sanderling, Maris Jansons and Yuri Temirkanov, among others. Elisabeth Leonskaja performs and is welcomed as a guest artist frequently at prestigious music festivals such as Salzburg, Vienna and Lucerne, Schleswig Holstein Schubertiade in Hohenems and Schwarzenberg (Austria). She also gives recitals in piano cycles in the most important musical centres such as Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Edinburgh, Munich, Zurich and Vienna.
Despite her busy schedule as a soloist, chamber music has always occupied a prominent place in her creative work, and she often appears with the Alban Berg, Borodin, Guarnieri and Artemis Quartets.
Numerous recordings bear witness to the extraordinary artistic achievements of this pianist, who has won awards such as the Caecilia for her Brahms piano sonatas and the Diapason d’Or for her recordings of Liszt compositions. Other of her records include Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concertos with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Kurt Mansur, Chopin’s Piano Concertos with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with Vladimir Ashkenazy and Shostakovich’s Piano Concertos with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
In her adopted country, the Republic of Austria, Elisabeth Leonskaja’s great achievements have been highly recognised. She has been distinguished as an Honorary Member of the Vienna Konzerthaus. In 2006, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour, First Class, for her services to the country’s cultural life – the highest Austrian distinction. In 2020 she received the International Classical Music Award for Lifetime Achievement (ICMA)