Tzimon Barto

“Barto is audibly interested in the spirit of the piano concerto and not in himself”

The connection between poetry and music is for Tzimon Barto of utmost importance and meaning, both as a pianist and in his writings. His musical interpretations are exceedingly personal and unconventional. They captivate audiences with his zeal, exquisite sense of tonal color, subtle nuances and superb technique. A colorful, surpassingly varied range of expressive elements from feather-light melodic lines to expressive chord series characterize his performance.

As one of the foremost American pianists, Tzimon Barto celebrated his international breakthrough in the mid-1980’s when he performed at the Wiener Musikverein and the Salzburger Festspiele at the invitation of Herbert von Karajan. Tzimon Barto has performed with almost every major international orchestra and is a regular guest at the most renowned festivals.

Highlights of previous seasons include his performances at La Scala Milan as well as his Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, the Hong Kong Philharmonic and Konzerthausorchester Berlin. In 2016/17, as part of his residency with the SWR Symphony Orchestra, he played Ravel’s Piano Concerto on an extremely successful tour in Spain. As part of the Présences Festival 2019 in Paris, Tzimon Barto performed with the Orchestre National de France, playing Rihm’s Second Piano Concerto, a work dedicated to him and premiered in 2014 at the Salzburg Festival together with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach. After focusing on the piano concertos of Brahms and Bartók, he is currently concentrating on the less frequently performed Dvořák concerto, among others.

Tzimon Barto’s extensive discography includes albums featuring works by Haydn, Rameau, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Schumann and Brahms. His latest releases are dedicated to the Ives Concord Sonata, the Busoni version of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, as well as the Paganini Variations of Liszt, Brahms, Lutoslawski and Rachmaninov. The seldom heard Piano Concerto by Hans Pfitzner in E-flat major has been released in 2013 under the Dresdner Staatskapelle label conducted by Christian Thielemann. naïve published the first book of J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier digitally in the spring of 2023, with the second book to follow in the fall.

Born and raised in Florida, Tzimon Barto received his first piano lessons from his grandmother at the age of five. He studied under the famous music-pedagogue and pianist Adele Marcus at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, where he won the Gina Bachauer Competition in two consecutive years.

In 2006 he initiated The Barto Prize, promoting contemporary piano compositions in an international competition, and integrated the winning compositions in his recital programs.

Tzimon Barto speaks five languages fluently, reads ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew and is learning Mandarin. His book A Lady of Greek Origin was published in 2001 and again in 2008 in a revised version, and a stage version was performed in Frankfurt and Vienna. In 2010, his novel Harold Flanders was published.

Season 2023/2024 | Photo: Malolm Yawn | Quote: Berliner Morgenpost, March 2 2020
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Schoerke GmbH

No entries.

J. S. Bach
Piano concerto No. 3 in D major BWV 1054
Piano concerto No. 4 in A major BWV 1055

Bartok
Piano concerto No. 1 in E minor Sz. 83 / BB 91
Piano concerto No. 2 in G major Sz. 95 / BB 101
Piano concerto No. 3 in E major Sz. 119 / BB 127

Beethoven
Piano concerto No. 3 in C minor op. 37
Piano concerto No. 4 in G major op. 58
Piano concerto No. 5 in E-flat major op. 73
Triple concerto in C major op. 56

Brahms
Piano concerto No. 1 in D minor op. 15
Piano concerto No. 2 in B-flat major op. 83

Chopin
Piano concerto No. 1 in E minor op. 11
Piano concerto No. 2 in F minor op. 21
Andante Spiniato et Grande Polonaise Brillante in E-flat major op. 22
Variations on La ci darem la mano

Dvorak
Piano concerto in G minor op. 33

Gershwin
Concerto in F
Rhapsody in Blue

Grieg
Piano concerto in A minor op. 16

Liszt
Piano concerto No. 2 in A major S. 125

Mozart
all Piano concertos

Pfitzner
Piano concerto in E-flat major op. 31

Prokofiev
Piano concerto No. 2 in G minor op. 16
Piano concerto No. 3 in C major op. 26

Rachmaninov
Piano concerto No. 2 in C minor op. 18
Piano concerto No. 3 in D minor op. 30
Piano concerto No. 4 in G minor op. 40
Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini op. 43

Ravel
Piano concerto in G major

Rihm
Piano concerto No. 2

Saint-Saens
Piano concerto No. 2 in G minor op. 22

R. Schumann
Introduction and Allegro appassionato in G major op. 92
Concert allegro with introducton D minor op. 134
Geistervariationen – Theme with variations in E-flat major WoO 24

R. Strauss
Burleske

Tschaikovsky
Piano concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor op. 23

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II
Naïve (2023)

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
Naïve (2023)

Ives Piano Sonata No. 2
Capriccio C5268 (2016)

Bach Goldberg Variations
Capriccio C5243 (2015)

Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles                
Partner: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)
LPO 0083 (2015)

Paganini Variations                    
Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini
Brahms: Paganini Variations
Lutoslawski: Paganini Variations
Rachmaninov: Paganini Rhapsody
Partner: Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchester, Christoph Eschenbach (condcutor)
Ondine ODE 1230-2D (2014)

Brahms The Piano Concertos                                        
Partner: Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)
Capriccio C5210 (2014)

Edition Staatskapelle Dresden, Vol. 34
Pfitzner: Piano Concerto E flat major op. 31
Partner: Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann (conductor)
Edition Staatskapelle Dresden PH12016 (2013)

Remebering JFK – 50th Anniversary Concert    
Gershwin: Concerto in F
Partner: National Symphony Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)
Ondine ODE 1190-2D (2011)

Schubert
Impromptus D 899
Moments Musicaux D 780
Piano Sonata D 894 G major
Capriccio C5028 (2010)

Tschaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 1 op. 23 B flat minor
Rokoko-Variations A major op. 33
Partner: Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor), Dimitri Maslennikov (violoncello)
Capriccio C5065 (2010)

Schumann    
Concert piece G major op. 92
Geistervariationen E flat major WoO 24
Concert-Allegro D Minor op. 134
Six etudes in canonic form  (arr. for two pianos by Debussy)
Partner: NDR Sinfonieorchester, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor /piano)
Ondine ODE 1162-2 (2010)

Unexpected Encounters                    
A Selection of Piano Sonatas by Joseph Haydn
Sonata No. 10 C major  Hob. XVI: 1
Sonata No. 38 F major Hob. XVI: 23
Sonata No. 42 G major Hob. XVI: 27
SonataNo. 60 C major Hob. XVI: 50
Ondine ODE 1154-2 (2009)

Ravel
Gaspard de la nuit
Miroirs
Jeux d’eau
Ondine ODE 1095-2 (2007)

A Basket of Wild Strawberries                
A Selection of Keyboard Jewels by Jean-Philippe Rameau
Premier Livre
Pièce de clavecin, Suite in E
Pièce de clavecin, Suite in D
Nouvelles Suites, Suite in A
Ondine ODE 1067-2 (2006)

de Falla Nächte in Spanischen Gärten                
Partner: Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner (conductor)
EMI CDC 5 55049 2 (1994)

Popular Encores                        
Works by Bach, Debussy, Janácek, Gershwin, Joplin, Fanny und Felix Mendelssohn a.o.
EMI CDC 7 54900 2 (1993)    

Saint-Saëns Der Karneval der Tiere                    
Partner: Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson (conductor)
EMI CDC 7 54465 2 (1993)

Chopin
Piano Concerto No. 11 E flat minor op. 11
3 Nocturnes
Partner: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Adam Fischer (conductor)
EMI CDC 7 25602 5 (1992)

Pure Romance                        
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 E flat minor  op. 11
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 A major S. 125
Partner: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Adam Fischer (conductor)
EMI CDC 7 54648 2 (1992)

Chopin 
24 Préludes op. 28
Cantabile
Nocturne op. 9 No. 2
Contredanse in G flat major
Nocturne in C sharp minor op. posth.
Nocturne in C minor op. posth.
EMI CDC 7 54367 2 (1991)

Schumann
Symphonic Etudes op. 13
Kreisleriana op. 16
EMI CDC 7 49970 2 (1990)

Liszt 
Mazeppa – Etudes d’exécution transcendante No. 4
Harmonie du soir – Etudes d’exécution transcendantes No. 11
Hungarina Rhapsody No. 6 D flat major
Funérailles
Sonetto des Petrarca Nos. 47, 104, 123
Consolation No. 3 D flat major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C sharp minor
EMI CDC 7 49566 2 (1989)

Rachmaninov/Bartók
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor op. 30
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major Sz 95 / BB 101
Partner: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)
EMI CDC 7 49861 2 (1989)

Prokofiev/Ravel/Gershwin
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major op. 26
Ravel: Concerto in G major
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Partner: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor)
EMI DCD 7 49495 2 (1988)

Tzimon Barto and the Well-tempered Clavier

Tzimon Barto – Mozart: Concert-Rondo A Major K 386

Tzimon Barto – Gershwin: Concerto in F major for Piano and Orchestra

GMJO – Rihm in Salzburg Episode 1

GMJO – Rihm in Salzburg Episode 2

GMJO – Rihm in Salzburg Episode 3

GMJO – Rihm in Salzburg Episode 4