Rudolf Buchbinder, a legendary piano virtuoso with a career spanning 65 years, an honourary member of the Wiener Symphoniker and the first soloist to be awarded the Gold Medal of Honour by the Staatskapelle Dresden, is returning to the NCPA to offer music lovers a piano feast including one recital at the NCPA and two concerto concerts at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre.

In 2023, Virtuoso Buchbinder offered an unforgettable musical feast to Beijing music fans by interpreting Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas at seven concerts given on the stage of the NCPA. On April 30^th, Virtuoso Buchbinder will present Schubert’s four impromptus and Beethoven’s 33 piano variations in C, Op.120 on a waltz by “Anton Diabelli”.

Buchbinder’s performance shines with his authoritative rendition of musical works, his sensitivity to music and his uniqueness in style, all acquired in the past 60 years. In his interpretation of great works is a balance between tradition and innovation, between faithfulness and freedom, and between authenticity and openness. His current repertoire is especially graced by the presence of Beethoven’s 33 piano variations in C, Op.120 on a waltz by “Anton Diabelli”. Composed by Beethoven in his later years, this work is an important document of piano music, and based on it, Buchbinder has given a series of concerts themed “New Diabelli Variations”. Buchbinder’s deep excavation of this work finds expression not only in his cooperation with prestigious concert halls around the world, but also in the creation of “New Diabelli Variations” for him by 11 leading contemporary composers.

On the afternoon of May 1^st-2^nd, Virtuoso Buchbinder will make his debut at the Concert Hall of the Beijing Performing Arts Centre and work with the China NCPA Orchestra to present Beethoven’s five piano concertos.

Beethoven’s student, Carl Czerny, who became a great piano educator later, said that in terms of musical scale, double tremolo and staccato, Beethoven pressed the keyboard faster than everybody else and when he performed a piece of music slowly and constantly, Beethoven would create a magical effect for the audience. Beethoven composed these five piano concertos in order to show his great virtuosity.

Buchbinder is a successor to Bruno Seidlhofer, who was a successor to Schmidt, one of the disciples of Theodor Leschetizky, who once studied under Beethoven’s student Carl Czerny. His interpretation of Beethoven is a very important standard in the . His album of Beethoven’s complete piano concertos drew great attention upon its release. The Wiener Musikverein also made a historical decision to invite him to perform all of Beethoven’s piano concertos in its special performance series.