April 3, 2011

The Swiss pianist Felix Buchmann was born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1958. At the age of eleven he made his first public performance with an orchestra (he played Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 20 in d minor with Hofer Symphoniker, a German orchestra). He went on to perform Mozart's Concerto no. 21 in C Major and Beethoven's first Piano Concerto. At the age of 14 he started playing public piano recitals. Among other pieces, his repertory included Beethoven's Waldstein sonata and Chopin's Fantasy in F-minor op. 49. At the age of 19 Mr. Buchmann entered the Basel Conservatory, where he studied with Peter Efler and received the Teacher's diploma. He then moved to Bern, where he continued his studies with the remarkable Swiss pianist Michael Studer, and acquired the Performer's diploma. Mr. Buchmann also attended master classes with Bernhard Ebert of Musikhochschule Hannover and was advised by Hubert Harry of the Lucerne Conservatory.

In our playlist we'll hear three performances by Felix Buchmann. First, Piano Sonata No 24 in F-sharp Major by Beethoven; then Robert Schumann's Romance in F-sharp Major, Op. 28, No. 2 and finally, the second movement (Adagio) of the Piano Concerto no. 2 by Beethoven. This live recording was made with the Orchestra of Gelterkinden, which was conducted by Meinrad Koch. To listen, lick here.