Stephen Kovacevich

Although renowned for his interpretations of classical composers, his musical tastes are very eclectic and composers such as Rodney Bennett and John Taverner have dedicated concertos to him. He recently premiered Southen Lament by the American Stephen Montague at the Cheltenham International Music Festival as well as at the BBC Proms and the Royal Festival Hall in London.

A pianist of character, he carves the texts with a full sound. His in-depth knowledge of the works is there, but his perspective is always fresh, always seeking to discover and reveal the composer's simplicity, tenderness, or rage.

Stephen Kovacevich has been a guest of the Berliner Philharmoniker with Simon Rattle, the London Philharmonic with Kurt Masur, the Montreal Symphony with Charles Dutoit, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Israel Philharmonic.

He played all 5 Beethoven concertos with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Joseph Swensen.

Stephen Kovacevich also devotes himself to chamber music, as evidenced by the legendary recording of Beethoven's cello sonatas with Jacqueline Dupré, as well as Bartok with Martha Argerich. His other partners include Steven Isserlis, Nigel Kennedy, Renaud Capuçon, Lynn Harrell, Sarah Chang, Truls Mork, and Emmanuel Pahud.

Stephen Kovacevich also practices conducting. Since his debut in 1984 at the helm of the Houston Symphony, he has conducted the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, London Philharmonic, Youth Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, the orchestras of Copenhagen and Lisbon, and the Los Angeles Symphony, with which he collaborates regularly. From 1986 to 1990, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Stephen Kovacevich recorded for Philips, which brought together his complete recordings in a 25-CD box set in 2016, and EMI/Warner Classics, which released the complete 32 Beethoven sonatas to unanimous acclaim from the international press.