Liceu Cambra Masterclasses & Concerts is a symbol of musical excellence and a meeting point for the exchange of knowledge with some of the most prestigious performers and creators in the world. In its tenth edition, the cycle reaffirms itself as one of the most significant initiatives in its field, once again establishing itself as an essential space for students from the Conservatori Liceu and internationally renowned teachers, as well as being a key event for music lovers in Barcelona who wish to enjoy an offering of top-quality artistic performances.
This masterclass we present will be taught by Austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch, renowned for his interpretation of classical and contemporary music, as well as for his work as a professor and conductor of international masterclasses. He has performed on numerous prestigious stages worldwide.
Born in Vienna, he first appeared on the concert platform when he was seven years old, and at the age of twelve made his debut in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein. Among the teachers who influenced his musical direction were Heinz Medjimorec, Pascal Devoyon, and Oleg Maisenberg.
A concert conducted by Yehudi Menuhin launched Wallisch’s international career: accompanied by the Sinfonia Varsovia, the seventeen-year-old pianist performed Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto. Since then, he has received invitations to the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals: Carnegie Hall New York, Wigmore Hall in London, the Cologne Philharmonie, the Tonhalle in Zurich, and the NCPA in Beijing, also the Ruhr Piano Festival, the Beethovenfest in Bonn, the Festivals of Lucerne and Salzburg, the December Nights in Moscow, and the Singapore Arts Festival. Conductors with whom he has performed as a soloist include Giuseppe Sinopoli, Sir Neville Marriner, Dennis Russell Davies, Kirill Petrenko, Louis Langrée, Lawrence Foster und Bruno Weil.
The list of orchestras he has performed with includes the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra of Wales, Festival Strings Lucerne, and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. He has made many recordings for labels such as LINN records, Deutsche Grammophon and Alpha Classics. In 2012 Steinway & Sons added his name to their roster of “Steinway Artists”.
Alongside his performances on the modern piano, in recent years he has also intensively studied the field of historic interpretation on early pianos, which has led to collaborations e.g. with Christopher Hogwood and the Camerata Salzburg, the Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra Los Angeles, and the Orchester Wiener Akademie directed by Martin Haselböck. In 2020, he released a 3-CD-set with the Complete Beethoven Piano Concertos, performed on instruments from Beethoven’s time. This recording has been nominated for the Opus Klassik 2021 Award.
Since October 2016, he is piano professor at the Berlin University of Arts (UdK Berlin). From 2010 until 2017 he had held a position as professor for piano at the Geneva University for Music (HEM Genève-Neuchâtel). In addition, he was visiting professor at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest in 2013. Furthermore, he gave master-classes at the University of Illinois, the University of Denver, the Nagoya College of Music, the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and the International Summer Academy Mozarteum Salzburg.
Liceu Cambra – Masterclasses & Concerts series has the patronage of Ferrer-Salat Music Foundation.