“Menahem Pressler’s joyous pianism – technically faultless, stylistically impeccable, emotionally irrepressible – is from another age and is a virtually forgotten sensibility. He is a national treasure. ” — The Los Angeles Times
“.…a poet, time and again revealing unexpected depths in works that have been endlessly plumbed and surveyed.” — The New York Times
Recognized by the French and German governments with the highest honors those countries award to civilians, Menahem Pressler is considered one of the greatest pianists of his generation. A founding member and the pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio for all of its 53 years, he is one of the world’s most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans over seven decades. Celebrating his 92nd birthday in December 2015, Mr. Pressler is enjoying an unprecedented resurgence of his solo career.
Since retiring the Trio in 2008, Mr. Pressler has performed in countless recitals and with orchestras conducted by such notable figures as Valery Gergiev, Seymon Bychkov, Trevor Pinnock, Christian Thielemann, Ken Nagano, and Daniel Harding. Mr. Pressler received rare standing ovations and rave reviews as the featured soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle during their 2014 New Year’s Eve performance. This performance – broadcast live throughout the world and viewed by well over a million people – was made available on DVD, along with the documentary “Pianist Menahem Pressler: The Life I Love,” which won the Grand Prize at the Golden Prague International Television Festival in 2015.
Born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1923, Menahem Pressler received most of his musical training in Israel, to which his family, fleeing the Nazis, emigrated in 1939. His career was launched when he won first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. This was followed by his successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy, and appearances with major orchestras in New York, Washington, Cleveland, Chicago, Pittsburgh, London, and Paris soon followed.
In 1955 he co-founded the Beaux Arts Trio with Daniel Guillet and Bernard Greenhouse. One of the most enduring and widely acclaimed chamber music ensembles, it has been credited with giving rise to the enormous popularity of the piano trio repertoire. The Trio had a worldwide schedule of over 100 concerts per year, and recorded and re-recorded the entire piano chamber music literature. The Trio had its final performance at Tanglewood – where it made its debut in 1955 – on August 21, 2008. In honor of the 60th anniversary (July 2015), Decca released a 60-disc set of all the Beaux Arts Trio recordings made on the Philips’ label.
In addition to his recordings with the Beaux Arts Trio, Mr. Pressler has compiled over thirty solo recordings, ranging from Bach to Ben-Haim, and has recorded almost the entire chamber literature with piano on the Philips label. Recent solo recordings include a Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert CD (2013, La Dolce Volta); a Beethoven, Schubert, and Chopin CD (2013, Bis); and, a CD of Mozart sonatas (2015, La Dolce Volta). Recent DVDs include a solo recital of Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, and Schubert at the Cite de la musique in Paris (2012, Ideale Audience); Mozart concerti with Paavo Järvi, conductor, and the Orchestre de Paris (2014, EuroArts); and, a CD/DVD Menahem Pressler – 90th Birthday Celebration Live In Paris with the Ebène Quartet (2014, Erato). A recording with violinist Sayaka Shoji on Deutsche Grammophon is forthcoming.
Mr. Pressler has received countless awards. Among the special honors for his work are the portrait commissioned by and displayed in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw; the Concertgebouw Prize (on behalf of the Beaux Arts Trio); London’s Wigmore Medal; and, the first Extraordinary Service Award from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. With the Beaux Arts Trio, he received multiple Grammy nominations and prizes from the French, British, German, and Dutch recording industries. For his teaching, Mr. Pressler was presented with the Menuhin Prize by Queen Sofia of Spain; the Music Teachers National Association Achievement Award; and the University Medal from Indiana University. Mr. Pressler has been recognized for a lifetime of achievement by organizations including ECHO Klassik, the Edison Foundation, Chamber Music America, and the International Classical Music Awards. He has earned a place in the Gramophone and the Classical Music Halls of Fame and in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been the subject of books written to honor his life and legacy, including “Menahem Pressler: The Artistry of Teaching” and “Always Something New to Discover: Menahem Pressler and the Beaux Arts Trio.”
Mr. Pressler has always been completely devoted to music: when he is not practicing, performing, or recording, he is striving to ensure that the tradition is passed on, through his position as Distinguished Professor of Piano at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University; through his participation as a juror for competitions such as the Van Cliburn, Queen Elisabeth, Leeds, and Santander; and, through his appearance as faculty member for master classes throughout the world.