Richard Fuller (pianist)

Richard Fuller (born July 14, 1947) is an American classical pianist and prominent interpreter of the fortepiano repertoire.

Early life and musical education

Born in Washington, Fuller initially studied piano with his mother, Georgette Fuller. After studying piano and musicology at Central Washington University, he went on to receive a master's degree in music from the University of Oregon in 1971. Subsequently, he studied harpsichord and fortepiano in San Francisco and New York.

Life and career

Since relocating to Vienna, Austria over two decades ago, Richard Fuller has emerged as a major interpreter of the fortepiano repertoire. He has performed in Vienna's Konzerthaus, Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Wigmore Hall and innumerable other major venues and festivals in Europe, USA and Central America. Fuller is one of the few who has sought to address himself exclusively to the interpretive potential of the fortepiano, its subtle sensitivity and delicacy evoking an earlier - in many respects lost - keyboard culture. Most significantly, Fuller succeeds brilliantly in projecting these qualities to the listener.

Born in Washington State (USA), Fuller studied initially with his mother, later taking degrees in piano and musicology at Central Washington University and the University of Oregon, He studied harpsichord and fortepiano in San Francisco and Vienna. The emphasis of his artistic work lies in the interpretation of the piano, chamber music and the Lied repertoire of the Viennese Classical and early Romantic periods, performed on the fortepiano. His concert work has led him to the musical centers of North America and Europe where he appears as soloist, accompanist and member of numerous chamber music ensembles devoted primarily to the performance of 18th century music on authentic instruments. In addition he has collaborated with artists James Levine (with the Vienna Philharmonic), Emma Kirkby, Maria Bader-Kubizek, Andrew Manze, Klaus Mertens, Claus Ocker, Wolfgang Holzmair, the Festetics String Quartet (Budapest), Vienna Academy Orchestra, Musica Aeterna Bratislava, and Capella Musicae Graz; live concerts in radio and television, film music, broadcast productions for German Radio (Cologne), North German Radio (Hamburg), Austrian National Radio, BBC and the Hungarian National Radio as well as numerous CD recordings in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Slovakia. Fuller's discography also includes noted premiere recordings of the piano Quartets of J.B. Vanhal with Musica Aeterna Bratislava, the solo piano works of Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831) and the recently-completed cycle of 12 piano sonatas of Hyacinthe Jadin (1776-1800).

In 2002, Richard Fuller received from the University of Oregon, the Distinguished Alumnus Award for his artistic work. In 2006 Fuller initiated and directed the Donaustädter Mozart Project, an ongoing series of performances dedicated to the piano music, chamber music and vocal music of Mozart's Vienna Years (1781-1791). Other recent projects include recordings of Haydn's piano music on one of Haydn's few known pianos as well as a comprehensive project in 2008 and 2009 in connection with the Haydn-Year 2009 of his piano music, vocal music and chamber music ("...einfach haydnisch...").

Awards

University of Oregon School of Music's Distinguished Alumnus, 2002

Wien-Donaustadt Artist of the Year,2005

External links

* [http://richardfullerfortepiano.com/ Official web site]