Tom Connor <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>This made me curious to know more of Paul Badura-Skoda.  I found
>surprisingly little on a Search of Badura-Skoda online but was surprised to
>find a 1997 review with the Singapore Symphony in a Mozart concerto.  He is
>now apparently in his early to mid 70's.
>
>Does anyone know more? I hadn't realized he was so young when these
>recordings were made and am curious why I haven't seen a stronger presence.

He recorded a Schubert sonata cycle for RCA in the early 70s (IIRC)
that has not been released on CD.  Among those, his D.959 is my favorite
recording of all (bar none).  He recorded a second Schubert cycle on
Arcana.  I have only a few of these and they are on a period piano.  His
coupling of D.664 and D.960 on the latter series is fine, if you like
period instruments.  He also has a wonderful CD of Brahms late piano pieces
on Auvidis-Valois and an even better recording of Schubert piano four-hands
music with Joerg Demus (on either Arcana or Auvidis, can't remember the
label exactly).  He had previously recorded some of this music, also with
Demus, on RCA which remains unreleased on CD (I have it on RCA Victrola
LP).

Badura-Skoda is an interesting man.  He has an extensive collection of
pianos which he's said to maintain himself.  His wife, Eva, is a noted
musicologist with various publications on Mozart to her credit.

Ramon Khalona
Carlsbad, California