Leif Ove Andsnes (; born 7 April 1970) is a Norwegian

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...

ian. Andsnes has made several recordings for

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

and EMI. In 2012, Leif Ove Andsnes has signed to

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by ...

, and recorded for the label the "Beethoven Journey" project, which included the composer's five piano concertos with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. The works were recorded over three years, beginning with Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 3 in 2012, followed by Concertos Nos 2 and 4 in 2013 and the Fifth Piano Concerto and ''Choral Fantasy'' in 2014. He is represented by

IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: * IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group ...

Biography

Andsnes was born at

Karmøy Karmøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is southwest of the town of Haugesund in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kopervik. Most of the municipality lies on ...

and studied with Jiří Hlinka at the Bergen Music Conservatory, making his debut in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

in 1987. He appeared in Britain at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh F ...

with the

Oslo Philharmonic The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in ...

in 1989, and in the United States with the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

conducted by

Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi (; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn. He initially studied music there, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, ...

in 1990. He is renowned as a champion of the works of

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

. In 2002 he played Grieg's

Piano Concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpie ...

at the Last Night of the Proms. In November 2009, ''Pictures Reframed'' debuted at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, in which Andsnes performed

Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

’s suite accompanied by five hanging panels and a rear video projection by Robin Rhode. He has performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

, the Mostly Mozart Festival, and the Apple Store in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Andsnes cites Dinu Lipatti,

Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter, group= ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet classical pianist. He is frequently regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time, Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his int ...

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (; 5 January 1920 – 12 June 1995) was an Italian classical pianist. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. According to ''The New York Times'', he was perhaps the most reclusive, ...

and Géza Anda amongst his idols. He helped found the Risør Festival of Chamber Music in 1991 and held the position of Artistic Director for the festival until 2010. In June 2012, he served as Music Director of the 2012 Ojai Music Festival.

Awards

Andsnes has won many awards, including the Hindemith Prize Frankfurt (1987), Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (1997),

Gilmore Artist Award The Gilmore Artist Award is awarded every four years to a concert pianist. The award was established in 1989 by The Gilmore of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Selection criteria In contrast with other music awards, nominees are not aware that they are under ...

(1998), Royal Philharmonic Society Award (2000) and the Gramophone Awards (six times). He was inducted into the ''Gramophone Hall of Fame'' in 2013. His recording of

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

's Piano Concertos nos. 2 and 4 with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra won both the Concerto Award and the Recording of the Year Award from the

BBC Music Magazine ''BBC Music Magazine'' is a British monthly magazine that focuses primarily on classical music. History The first issue appeared in September 1992. BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC was the original owner and publisher togeth ...

in 2015. Andsnes also received the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award in 1998. Andsnes is one of only eight pianists who have received the award. Andsnes has been nominated for the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

on eight occasions, but has not won any.

Personal life

Andsnes' partner is Norwegian horn player Ragnhild Lothe. They have a daughter named Sigrid, born in June 2010, and twins Ingvild and Erlend, born in May 2013.

Discography

(For peak charting position on

VG-lista VG-lista is a Norwegian record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide chart ...

, the Norwegian Albums chart, se
NorwegianCharts.com page

LP

*''Chopin – Smetana – Beethoven: Sonatas etc.'' (1987) Vest-Norsk Plateselskap 0087-14

CD

*'' Nielsen: The Wind Chamber Music'' (1989) BIS-CD-428 *''

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

: Piano Concerto No. 3/ Symphony No. 7'' (1990) Simax PSC 1060 *'' Chopin/

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

Cello Sonata A cello sonata is usually a sonata written for solo cello with piano accompaniment. The most famous Romantic-era cello sonatas are those written by Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven. Some of the earliest cello sonatas were written in the 1 ...

, Adagio & Allegro etc.'' (1990) Simax PSC 1063 *''Chopin – Smetana –

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

: Sonatas etc.'' (1991) Vest-Norsk Plateselskap 0091-0023 *'' Grieg:

•

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

: Piano Concerto No. 2'' (1991) Virgin Classics 0777 7596132 4 *'' Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 • In the Mists etc.'' (1991) Virgin Classics 0777 7596392 2 *''Chopin: The Piano Sonatas'' (1992) Virgin Classics 0777 7590722 3 *''Grieg:

Piano Sonata A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement ( Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with ...

/ Lyric Pieces'' (1993) Virgin Classics 0777 7 59300 2 3 *''

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

/Schumann: Viola Sonatas, Märchenbilder'' (1993) Virgin Classics 0 777 7 59309 2 4 *''Janáček •

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...

•

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

• Nielsen: Violin Sonatas'' (1995) Virgin Classics 7243 5 45122 2 3 *''

Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

: Piano Concerto No. 3'' (1995) Virgin Classics 7243 5 45173 2 7 *''Nielsen: Piano Pieces'' (1996) Virgin Classics 7243 5 45129 2 6 *''Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 1 •

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

'' (1997) EMI Classics 7243 5 56414 2 7 *''The long, long winter night'' (1998) EMI Classics 7243 5 56541 2 *''Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1, etc.'' (1998) EMI Classics 7243 5 56583 2 6 *'' Szymanowski: Król Roger • Symphony No. 4'' (1999) EMI Classics 7243 5 56823 2 1 *''Rachmaninov: Songs'' (1999) EMI Classics 7243 5 56814 2 3 *''

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

: Piano Sonatas'' (1999) EMI Classics 7243 5 56756 2 0 *''

Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

• Shostakovich • Enescu'' (1999) EMI Classics 7243 5 56760 2 3 *''Haydn: Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 4 & 11'' (2000) EMI Classics 7243 5 56960 2 1 *''Liszt: Piano Recital'' (2001) EMI Classics 7243 5 57002 2 3 *''Grieg: Lyric Pieces'' (2002) EMI Classics 7243 5 57296 2 0 *''

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

: Piano Sonata, D. 959 • 4 Lieder'' (2002) EMI Classics 7243 5 57266 2 9 *''Schubert: Piano Sonata, D. 850 • 9 Lieder'' (2003) EMI Classics 7243 5 57460 2 3 *''Grieg • Schumann • Piano Concertos'' (2003) EMI Classics 7243 5 57486 2 1 *'' Dvořák: Violin Concerto •

Piano Quintet In classical music, a piano quintet is a work of chamber music written for piano and four other instruments, most commonly a string quartet (i.e., two violins, viola, and cello). The term also refers to the group of musicians that plays a pian ...

'' (2003) EMI Classics 7243 5 57439 2 3 *''

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

: Piano Concertos 9 & 18'' (2004) EMI Classics 7243 5 57803 2 4 *''Schubert:

Winterreise ''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert ( D. 911, published as Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the second of Schubert's two song cycles on Müller' ...

'' (2004) EMI Classics 7243 5 57790 2 1 *'' Bartók: Violin Sonatas'' (2004) EMI Records Ltd/Virgin Classics 7243 5 45668 2 0 *''Bartók: The Piano Concertos'' (2005) Deutsche Grammophon 289 477 5330 *''Schubert: Piano Sonata D960 • 3 Lieder'' (2005) EMI Classics 7243 5 57901 2 5 *''Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 1 & 2'' (2005) EMI Classics 7243 4 74813 2 1 *''Horizons'' (2006) EMI Classics 0946 3 41682 2 9 *''Schubert: Piano Sonata D958 • Lieder • Fragments'' (2007) EMI Classics 0946 3 84321 2 8 *''Ballad for Edvard Grieg'' (2007) EMI Classics 0946 3 94399 2 8 / EMI Classics 0946 3 94399 5 9 (Digital) *''Schumann • Brahms: Piano Quintets'' (2007) Virgin Classics 00946 395143 5 9 (Digital) *''Mozart: Piano Concertos 17 & 20'' (2008) EMI Classics 50999 5 00281 2 2 *''Schubert: Lieder'' (2008) EMI Classics 50999 5 16443 2 1 *''Shadows Of Silence'' (2009) EMI Classics 5099926418223 / EMI Classics 5099926418254 (Digital) *''

Pictures An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimension ...

• Schumann: Kinderszenen'' (2009) EMI Classics 50999 6 98360 2 2 *''Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 3 & 4'' (2010) EMI Classics 50999 6 40516 2 8 *''Schumann: Complete works for Piano Trio'' (2011) EMI Classics 50999 0 94180 2 8 *''The Beethoven Journey: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3'' (2012) Sony Classical 87254 20582 *''The Beethoven Journey: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4'' (2014) Sony Classical 88837 05482 *''The Beethoven Journey: Piano Concerto No. 5 • Choral Fantasy'' (2014) Sony Classical 88843 058862 *''Sibelius'' (2017) Sony Classical 88985 408502

CD (miscellaneous)

*''Movements'' (1993) :Andsnes/Antonsen/Mørk/Thorsen :EMI Norsk AS SKR 0001 :Andsnes is represented with 5 piano pieces previously released on Virgin Classics 0777 7 59300 2 3 (1993) *''Andsnes, Antonsen, Mørk'' (1995) :EMI Classics 7243 5 55576 2 9 :Andsnes is represented with miscellaneous piano pieces previously released on Virgin Classics 0777 7596132 4 (1991), Virgin Classics 0777 7596392 2 (1991) and Virgin Classics 0777 7590722 3 (1992) *''Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor – Symphony in C Minor'' (1995) :

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra based in Bergen. Its principal concert venue is the Grieg Hall. History Established in 1765 under the name ''Det Musicalske Selskab'' (The Musical Society), it later changed its name ...

/ Dmitri Kitajenko :Edvard Grieg Museum • Trold 08 :Andsnes is represented with Grieg's piano concerto, previously released on Virgin Classics 0777 7596132 4 (1991) *''Chopin for Dummies'' (1996) :Misc. pianists :EMI Classics 7243 5 66273 0 7 :Andsnes is represented with Chopin's 'Mazurka In A Minor, Op. 17 Nr. 4', previously released on Virgin Classics 0777 7590722 3 (1992) *''Classical Sounds of Norway'' (1996) :Misc. artists :Bare Bra Musikk AS BBCD 2001 :Andsnes is represented with the 1st movement of Grieg's piano concerto, previously released on Virgin Classics 0777 7596132 4 (1991) *''Delft Chamber Music Festival – Pettersson/Stravinsky/Schubert'' (1998) :Misc. artists :Koch Classics 3-1651-2 :Andsnes is represented with Schubert's ' Nocturne in E-flat, D 897', previously unreleased *''En annen sol'' (2000) :Vamp :MajorStudio MSCD 1147 :Andsnes plays together with singer Anne Grete Preus on the previously unreleased song 'En annen sol' *''Leif Ove Andsnes • A Portrait'' (2001) :Misc. artists : (2 CDs) EMI Classics 7243 5 74789 2 2 :All works are previously released on EMI Classics *''Piano Nocturnes'' (2001) :Misc. pianists : (2 CDs) EMI Records Ltd/Virgin Classics 7243 5 61952 2 6 :Andsnes is represented with previously released works on Virgin Classics 0777 7596392 2 (1991) and Virgin Classics 0777 7 59300 2 3 (1993) *''Grieg: Lyric Pieces'' (2002) :Edvard Grieg Museum • Trold 16 :Relaunch of EMI Classics 7243 5 57296 2 0 (2002) *''Best of 2002'' (2002) :Misc. artists :Classic fm CFMACD92 :Andsnes is represented with Grieg's 'Wedding Day At Troldhaugen, Op. 65 Nr. 6', previously released on EMI Classics 7243 5 57296 2 0 (2002) *''Editor's Choice • The Top Ten Discs of July 2003'' (2003) :Misc. artists :Gramophone GCD0703 :Andsnes is represented with the 4th movement from Schubert's 'Piano sonata in D, D850', previously released on EMI Classics 7243 5 57509 2 1 (2003) *''Editor's Choice • The Top Ten Discs of September 2004'' (2004) :Misc. artists :Gramophone GCD0904 :Andsnes is represented with works previously released on EMI Records Ltd/Virgin Classics 7243 5 45668 2 0 (2004) and EMI Classics 7243 5 57790 2 1 (2004) *''Venn'' (2005) :Misc. Norwegian artists :(2CDs) Universal Music :Andsnes is represented with Geirr Tveitt's 'Welcome with honor', previously released on EMI Classics 7243 5 56542 2 9 (1998) *''Editor's Choice • The Top Ten Discs of November 2005'' (2005) :Misc. artists :Gramophone GCD1105 :Andsnes is represented with the 2nd movement of Rachmaninov's 'Piano Concerto No. 1', previously released on EMI Classics 7243 4 74813 2 1 (2005) *''Editor's Choice • The Top Ten Discs of August 2006'' (2006) :Misc. artists :Gramophone GCD0806 :Andsnes is represented with a conversation about Grieg, together with Rob Cowan, previously unreleased

Studio Albums

* 2012: The Beethoven Journey - Piano Concertos Nos.1-5,

* 2014: Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos.2 & 4,

* 2014: The Beethoven Journey - Piano Concerto No.5 "Emperor" & Choral Fantasy,

* 2017: Sibelius,

* 2018: Chopin,

* 2021: Mozart Momentum - 1785,

* 2022: Mozart Momentum - 1786,

DVD

*The Verbier Festival & Academy 10th Anniversary Piano Extravaganca (2004) :Misc. pianists :RCA Red Seal *Leif Ove Andsnes plays Bach & Mozart (2005) :Norwegian Chamber Orchestra :EMI Classics 0946 3 10436 9 7

Filmography

*Concerto: A Beethoven Journey (2015) as Self

Biography

*Leif Ove Andsnes: I og med musikken (2005) :Written by Astrid Kvalbein :Released by Det Norske Samlaget,

References

External links

Official siteLeif Ove Andsnes at Sony ClassicalGeneral management

Leif Ove Andsnes Biography
on EMI Classics
Leif Ove Andsnes at NPR MusicHear Leif Ove Andsnes in concert
from WGBH Boston

January 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Andsnes, Leif Ove Norwegian classical pianists Spellemannprisen winners 1970 births Living people People from Karmøy Eurovision Young Musicians Finalists Norwegian Academy of Music faculty Simax Classics artists Virgin Classics artists EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists Sony Classical Records artists

Biography

Awards

Personal life

Discography

LP

CD

CD (miscellaneous)

Studio Albums

DVD

Filmography

Biography

Further reading

References

External links