Christoph Berner

Christoph Berner was awarded prizes for the best interpretation of Mozart and Schumann at the Géza-Anda-Competition 2003, underlining his position as one of the leading pianists of his generation. Prior to this, he had made himself known to a wide audience through his international concert activities, as well as by winning the 1995 Bösendorfer Competition and Second Prize in the 10th International Beethoven Competition in 1997.

Born in Vienna, he studied at the University of Music and Dramatic Art of his native town with Imola Joo, Hans Graf and Hans Petermandl. From 1993-95 he studied with Maria Tipo in Fiesole (Italy).

In Austria, the young pianist regularly plays in all major concert halls including the Vienna Musikverein and the Vienna Konzerthaus; he has received invitations to renowned festivals such as The Carinthian Summer, the “Schubertiade Schwarzenberg” e “Menuhin Festival Gstaad” and Gidon Kremer´s “Lockenhaus”-Chambermusic Festival.

His concert tours have taken him to most European countries, as well as Morrocco, Japan, Mexico and to the USA, where he gave a very successful concert at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Christoph Berner has played as a soloist with prestigious orchestras such as: the Orchestre National du Toulouse, the Moscow Tchaikowski Orchestra, Bremen and Dresden Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic and Goteborg Symphony Orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra with conductors Neeme Järvi, Michel Plasson, Vladimir Fedosejev, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Andrew Litton, Thomas Zehetmair, Walter Weller and Dennis Russell-Davies.

One of Berner´s biggest strenghts and passions is chambermusic: Apart from his cooperation with German tenor Werner Güra his chambermusic partners include Heinrich Schiff, Christian Altenburger and Ernst Kovacic as well as members of the Vienna Philharmonic: Tamas Varga, Franz Bartolomey and Wolfgang Schulz among others.

Christoph Berner´s first solo CD, released in autumn 1999, is exclusively dedicated to the piano works of Robert Schumann, a second one with Mozart´s last piano works has been released only recently. His recordings with Werner Güra for “harmonia mundi” include Schubert´s “Schwanengesang”, Mozart Lieder and solo piano pieces as well as Brahms “Liebesliederwalzer” (together with Marlis Petersen, Stella Doufexis and Konrad Jarnot), all of which have been awarded the “Diapason d´or”.