BIOGRAPHY

ANDREA BONATTA was born in Bolzano. Major influences in his musical development were studies with Paul Badura-Skoda in Vienna, Nikita Magaloff in Geneva, Stefan Askenase in Bonn and Wilhelm Kempff in Positano. From these great masters he learnt a profound respect for the form, for the composer and for the musical score. He was however also encouraged to pursue artistic freedom and to follow his artistic creativity.

Andrea Bonatta has often been defined as a ‘poet of the piano’. At his most recent recitals in Rome, Berlin and Moscow critics acclaimed him as a ‘perfect stylist’ as well as one of the last truly romantic pianists. Last appearances includes the Smetana Hall in Prague, the Grand Theatre in Shanghai, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, the great hall of the Vredenburg in Utrecht, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza and the Salle Gaveau in Paris.

He has recorded on CD Brahms’ complete works for piano as well as several other CD’s dedicated to Liszt and Schubert, getting top critical reviews: Choc/Le Monde de la Musique; ffff/Telèrama, best CD of the year/Neue Musikzeitung.

His book on Brahms’ piano work is considered a milestone in this field and has already been translated into German.

Andrea Bonatta is the Artistic Advisor of the ‘Feruccio Busoni’ International Piano Competition in Bolzano and has been the Vice President of the World Federation of International Music Competitions of Geneva.

He has played in practically the whole of Europe, in North and South America, in Australia, in Korea, China and South Africa, and is often a member of the jury at the most important international competitions, also as president of the jury (Bolzano, Weimar, Vercelli, Utrecht, Dortmund, Terni, Pretoria, Ettlingen, Moscow, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Seoul, Taipei etc.). He very much likes chamber music and has played as a duet with pianists such as Paul Badura-Skoda and Valentin Gheorghiu.

Andrea Bonatta is piano Professor at the Conservatory in Bolzano and Honorary Professor at the Shanghai Conservatory.

Besides his activity as a soloist, he recently started a very successful activity as a conductor in the USA, Italy and China, conducting Concertos from the piano as well as symphonic works with orchestras such as Shenzhen Symphony and Orchestra del Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza.