Piotr Anderszewski

Pianist Piotr Anderszewski has developed into an artist seemingly with a taste for highly structured works, most particularly Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. But that does not mean his performances are dry, academic readings of the piano repertoire's great works. Rather, he has been praised for his sensitivity and imaginative interpretations. 

Warsaw-born Anderszewski studied piano at the Lyon and Strasbourg conservatories, the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His career began in dramatic fashion at the 1990 Leeds Piano Competition where he performed the Diabelli Variations followed by Webern's Variations. However, in the middle of the Webern, he suddenly walked offstage, forfeiting the competition because he felt that the Beethoven performance spoke well enough for him. 

He began touring in Europe, for a time with violinist Viktoria Mullova, and also made his first recording with the violinist. His first solo recordings were of Bach, Beethoven, and Webern. In 2000, he made his American debut and was given the Karol Szymanowski Award for his interpretations of that composer's works. The next year Anderszewski signed a recording contract with Virgin Classics and recorded the Diabelli Variations. Filmmaker Bruno Monsaigneon documented the process and Anderszewski's thoughts on the work, much in the same way he had documented Glenn Gould performing the Goldberg Variations. The recording itself received high praise and several awards.

Anderszewski has been a Steinway Artist since 2005.