Elisabeth LeonskajaPhoto: Marco Borggreve

Tbilisi-born Russian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja has long been one of the most celebrated pianists of our time. While still a student at the Moscow Conservatory, she won prizes in major international competitions, including the Enescu Prize, the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition and the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Competition. Her musical development was profoundly influenced by her collaboration and friendship with Sviatoslav Richter.

Leonskaja left the Soviet Union in 1978 and settled in Vienna, where she has lived ever since. Since then, she has performed as soloist with the world's leading orchestras and collaborated with renowned conductors. She is a regular guest at numerous international festivals, including those in Vienna, Schleswig-Holstein, Schwarzenberg and Hohenems. She is also one of the most sought-after recital pianists in the most prestigious piano series, from Paris to Vienna to Melbourne. In addition to her many solo engagements, chamber music remains an important part of her work.

His Paris recording, published by eaSonus and featuring works by Ravel, Enescu and Debussy, was voted Solo Recording of the Year 2014 by the ICMA jury. Saudade, a tribute to Russian culture with works by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov, was released in November 2017. The complete piano sonatas of Franz Schubert, in two volumes of four CDs each, have been available since April 2016 and May 2019. A double album of variations and sonatas by Robert Schumann followed in January 2020. Since 2021, a new collaboration with WARNER has begun, with a cycle of Mozart sonatas and Beethoven piano concertos no. 3 and no. 4 already released. Piano concertos by Schumann and Grieg, as well as a recording of solo piano works by the 2nd Viennese School, are forthcoming.

In her second country, Austria, she is an honorary member of the Vienna Konzerthaus. In 2006, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the country's culture, Austria's highest honor. In Georgia, she was named Priestess of the Arts in 2016, the country's highest artistic distinction. In 2020, she received the Artistic Achievement Award from the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

Further information
Elisabeth Leonskaja Photo: Marco Borggreve
Reims, Basilique Saint-Rémi
Friday, June 20, 2025, 8:00 PM

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Elisabeth Leonskaja Photo: Marco Borggreve
Elisabeth Leonskaja Photo: Marco Borggreve
Elisabeth Leonskaja Photo: Marco Borggreve