Elisabeth Leonskaja

Elisabeth Leonskaja is a highly respected (former Soviet) pianist whose career blossomed in the shadow of <a href="spotify:artist:4hBgCK8FyJ5bV36ZZLB56X">Sviatoslav Richter</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:21h8E3aA7a9mjcUHbLpjxf">Emil Gilels</a>. Known for her modesty -- not unlike older compatriot <a href="spotify:artist:3SlD8UldMjeZoluSxBj7Nx">Maria Yudina</a> -- Leonskaja was mentored by <a href="spotify:artist:4hBgCK8FyJ5bV36ZZLB56X">Richter</a> and often played duets with him. She would never reach the critical and artistic heights of her great teacher, but her reputation as an imaginative interpreter and formidable technician have lifted her to almost legendary status, with comparisons to <a href="spotify:artist:4HNzRQlaUVSYkQcBvrDJV9">Clara Haskil</a> and other keyboard icons. Her choice of repertory has been fairly conservative over the years, with staples in the concerto and solo genres by <a href="spotify:artist:7y97mc3bZRFXzT2szRM4L4">Chopin</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1385hLNbrnbCJGokfH2ac2">Liszt</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5wTAi7QkpP6kp8a54lmTOq">Brahms</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3MKCzCnpzw3TjUYs2v7vDA">Tchaikovsky</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4kHtgiRnpmFIV5Tm4BIs8l">Prokofiev</a>, and with much chamber music. In the latter realm, she has collaborated with the <a href="spotify:artist:39bcPlnQijRpADa2yk6SGS">Alban Berg</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1PsknnitlKhm7SOszdGWB1">Borodin</a> quartets, with the Vienna Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble, with cellist <a href="spotify:artist:6bzQf5UbyQgSJlwFBglsum">Heinrich Schiff</a>, and many other artists. Leonskaja has made numerous recordings with a variety of labels, including Melodiya, Teldec, Elektra, MD&G, and others.

Leonskaja was born on November 23, 1945, in Tbilisi, Georgia, to Russian parents. She was an exceptionally gifted child, giving her first concert at 11. She studied music at the Moscow Conservatory and, while there, won prizes in several prestigious international competitions, including the Queen Elizabeth, <a href="spotify:artist:7DpcYGRlLfwpQa2nzxPTo6">Marguerite Long</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7KKscZTeDLz1g0QthWCMQV">Enescu</a>.

Leonskaja was soon noticed by <a href="spotify:artist:4hBgCK8FyJ5bV36ZZLB56X">Richter</a> and the two developed what would be a lifelong friendship, often appearing together in duet concerts. In 1978 she emigrated to the West, settling in Vienna. Her debut at the 1979 Salzburg Festival was a great triumph, after which she quickly established a reputation that yielded invitations in the next decades from the leading orchestras abroad, including those in New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Leipzig, and Hamburg.

Leonskaja's recordings were drawing acclaim as well: her 1992 CD of <a href="spotify:artist:5wTAi7QkpP6kp8a54lmTOq">Brahms</a>' sonatas won Belgium's prestigious Caecilia Prize. In 1996 Teldec released what would be one of <a href="spotify:artist:4hBgCK8FyJ5bV36ZZLB56X">Richter</a>'s last recordings, duet sonatas by <a href="spotify:artist:4NJhFmfw43RLBLjQvxDuRS">Mozart</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5ihY290YPGc3aY2xTyx7Gy">Grieg</a>, with Leonskaja. <a href="spotify:artist:4hBgCK8FyJ5bV36ZZLB56X">Richter</a> died the following year.

In the new century Leonskaja has been very active on the concert scene with numerous appearances at major concert venues. She debuted at Carnegie Hall in November 2006 with <a href="spotify:artist:37Lr1lIJy824MQIENRUnZn">Kurt Masur</a> leading the <a href="spotify:artist:3PfJE6ebCbCHeuqO4BfNeA">London Philharmonic Orchestra</a> in an acclaimed performance of the challenging <a href="spotify:artist:4kHtgiRnpmFIV5Tm4BIs8l">Prokofiev</a> Piano Concerto No. 2. Among her later recordings is another highly praised <a href="spotify:artist:5wTAi7QkpP6kp8a54lmTOq">Brahms</a> CD, this one an MD&G release of piano music from Opp. 116-119.