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Pianist, scholar and pedagogue Paul Badura-Skoda may best be known to the music loving public at large as an exponent of the Viennese classics. In fact, Badura-Skoda's lengthy career covers far more musical ground than he is usually given credit for, from his awesome teenage prowess as an accordion virtuoso to the flamenco-inspired flair he brought to Frank Martin's Fantasie, a work written especially for Badura-Skoda. In January 2005, we heard Badura-Skoda in an intimate, semi-private recital in New York, where the 77-year-old pianist covered a wide repertoire range with consummate authority and still-impressive technical command, notably in a shimmering, intense performance of Ravel's Ondine from Gaspard de la nuit. A selection of Chopin short pieces proved no less idiomatic, and served to remind US this composer also has preoccupied Badura-Skoda for a long time. Chopin also figures in the pianist's uncommonly large and wide-ranging discography of more than 200 releases, including the present 1971-5 studio recordings, all but one piece being released now for the first time. Album Tracks 1. Sonata in B minor, Op. 58 I. Allegro Maestoso (1971) 2. II. Scherzo Molto Vivace (1975) 3. III. Largo (1975) 4. IV. Finale Presto Non Tanto; Agitato (1975) 5. Mazurka in C-Sharp minor, Op. 63, No. 3 (1975) 6. Mazurka in a Minor, Op. 68, No. 2 (1975) 7. Mazurka in C-Sharp minor, Op. 30, No. 4 (1975) 8. Etude in A-Flat Major, Op. 25, No. 1 (1975) 9. Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49 (1972) 10. Polonaise-Fantasy, Op. 61 (1975)
