Czech Philharmonic ⬩ Rudolf Buchbinder

When deciding which pianist to approach with an offer of performing Beethoven’s complete piano concertos, Rudolf Buchbinder was the clear choice for us. Alongside Friedrich Gulda and Alfred Brendel, he has been one of the most sought-after interpreters of Beethoven in Austria. We first encountered Mr. Buchbinder in a performance of Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto at the Konzerthaus in Vienna. Conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra at the time was Semyon Bychkov’s brother Yakov Kreizberg and Mr. Buchbinder, who was enjoying a well-deserved glass of whiskey in his dressing room, seemed fresh enough to repeat the work lasting nearly one hour straight away. Instead, however, he invited us to the nearby Hotel Imperial for an afternoon coffee and the local speciality: apricot filled doughnuts.

Buchbinder is not only a universally gifted artist, but also a capable organiser. For many years he has successfully led an international music festival in Grafenegg, to which he invites the best soloists and orchestras from all over the world. He enjoys the perks of friendships with many musicians in chamber music projects and he will also be celebrating the Beethoven anniversary with a recital for the Czech Chamber Music Society. Mr. Buchbinder has recorded all of Beethoven’s piano concertos with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducting from the piano. This past season he appeared in Prague with Semyon Bychkov and Tomáš Netopil. For the next three concertos, however, he will be performing as he did in Vienna, i.e. without a conductor.