Paul Lewis
Paul Lewis is one of the most sought after artists of his generation, appearing regularly at the world's major musical venues and festivals. He studied with Ryszard Bakst at Chetham's School of Music and Joan Havill at the Guildhall in London, after which he received regular coaching from Alfred Brendel. After many competition successes, including the 1994 London International Piano Competition, he was selected for the BBC's inaugural “New Generation” artist scheme, and was chosen by the Wigmore Hall for the European Concert Halls Organisation's “Rising Stars” Scheme. His highly acclaimed Schubert piano sonata series, presented at venues throughout the UK, including the Wigmore Hall, won him both the South Bank Show Classical Music Award, and the Royal Philharmonic Society's Instrumentalist of the Year Award in 2003, and his recordings for Harmonia Mundi have won many international awards including 2 successive Edison awards in Holland in 2004 & 2005. More recently he was awarded the 25th Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. Following on from the success of his Schubert Sonata series Paul Lewis is currently performing a complete cycle of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas at venues across Europe and the US through to the end of 2007.
His recent international schedule has included recital and concerto debuts throughout Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan, and Australia. He has also appeared regularly at the BBC Proms, including the televised “Last Night” in 2005, and at both the Cheltenham and the Edinburgh international festivals, the Schubertiade Festival in Schwarzenberg, the Roque d'Antheron Festival, and both the Risor and Vancouver Chamber Music Festivals. He has appeared with many of the worlds leading orchestras including the Vienna Symphony, London Philharmonic, London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Hallé, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, CBSO, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Kammerphilharmonie, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, and Seattle Symphony, under such conductors as Bernard Haitink, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Mark Elder, Sir Chalres Mackerras, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Marin Alsop, Ivor Bolton, Richard Hickox, Emmanuel Krivine, Alexander Polianichko, Joseph Swensen, Vassily Sinaisky and Gerard Schwarz. As a much sought-after chamber musician, he has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Collins and Ernst Kovacic, Adrian Brendel, Steven Osborne, the Sine Nomine Quartet, and the Leopold String Trio.
In addition to his ongoing Beethoven Sonata series, the 2005-2006 season also included concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra under Bernard Haitink, and the London Philharmonic, the Mozart Concerto for 2 Pianos with Till Fellner at the 2006 BBC Proms, and a nationwide recital tour of Australia for Musica Viva.
Paul Lewis's recordings for Harmonia Mundi include two all Schubert CDs, the first winning a Diapson d'Or Choc de l'Année in France in 2002, and the second won the 2004 Edison Instrumentalist Award in Holland. His third disc for them featuring the Liszt sonata, also won the Edison Instrumentalist Award in 2005. The first CD of his complete series of Beethoven Sonatas was released in September 2005, and the second volume, a triple CD box set, in October 2006. He has also recorded both Mozart Piano Quartets and Schubert's Trout Quintet with the Leopold String Trio for Hyperion Records.
