Renowned pianist Paul Badura-Skoda died on September 25, 2019 at age 91. Badura-Skoda enjoyed a career that spanned more than seven decades, during which time, he was celebrated as a pianist, conductor, chamber musician, composer, and teacher. He performed into his nineties. The Viennese pianist was a specialist in the music of the 18th and 19th centuries and is the only pianist to have recorded the complete Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert sonatas on both modern and period pianos.
In December, WFMT spoke with Badura-Skoda about his hometown of Vienna. Here’s what he shared:
“Vienna is my birthplace. I feel here “at home.” Most of the streets and little corners are mine. She is small, comfortable, but she is also tall. Vienna is a cosmopolitan city, the city of many immigrants. And above all, she is the city of Schubert, my brother.”
— Paul Badura-Skoda (October 6, 1927 – September 25, 2019)