Richard Fuller (pianist)

Early life and musical education

Born in Washington, Fuller initially studied piano with his mother, Georgette Fuller. After studying piano and musicology at Central Washington University, he went on to receive a master's degree in music from the University of Oregon in 1971. Subsequently, he studied harpsichord and fortepiano in San Francisco, New York and Vienna.

Life and career

Since relocating to Vienna, Austria, over three decades ago, Fuller has emerged as an interpreter of the fortepiano repertoire. He has performed in Vienna's Konzerthaus, Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Wigmore Hall and many other major venues and festivals in Europe, USA, Japan and Central America. Fuller is one of the few who has sought to address himself exclusively to the interpretive potential of the fortepiano, its subtle sensitivity and delicacy evoking an earlier - in many respects lost - keyboard culture.

Born in the U.S. state of Washington, Fuller studied initially with his mother, later taking degrees in piano and musicology at Central Washington University and the University of Oregon, He studied harpsichord and fortepiano in San Francisco and Vienna. The emphasis of his artistic work lies in the interpretation of the piano, chamber music and the Lied repertoire of the Viennese Classical and early Romantic periods, performed on the fortepiano. His concert work has led him to the musical centers of North America and Europe where he appears as soloist, accompanist and member of numerous chamber music ensembles devoted primarily to the performance of 18th-century music on authentic instruments. In addition he has collaborated with artists James Levine (with the Vienna Philharmonic), Emma Kirkby, Maria Kubizek, Andrew Manze, Klaus Mertens,], Dorothea Röschman, Claus Ocker, Wolfgang Holzmair, the Festetics String Quartet (Budapest), Vienna Academy Orchestra, Musica Aeterna Bratislava, and Capella Musicae Graz; live concerts in radio and television, film music, broadcast productions for German Radio (Deutschlandfunk, Cologne), North German Radio (Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Hamburg), Austrian National Radio, BBC and the Hungarian National Radio as well as numerous CD recordings in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Slovakia. Fuller's discography also includes noted premiere recordings of the piano quartets of Johann Baptist Wanhal with Musica Aeterna Bratislava, the solo piano works of Ignaz Pleyel (1757–1831) and the cycle of 12 piano sonatas of Hyacinthe Jadin (1776–1800).

In 2002, Fuller received from the University of Oregon Distinguished Alumnus Award for his artistic work. In 2006 Fuller initiated and directed the Donaustädter Mozart Projekt, an ongoing series of performances dedicated to the piano music, chamber music and vocal music of Mozart's Vienna years (1781–1791). Other recent projects include recordings of Haydn's piano music on one of Haydn's few known pianos as well as a comprehensive project in 2008 and 2009 in connection with the Haydn Year 2009 of his piano music, vocal music and chamber music.

Discography

Bach, J.S.

Bach, J.C

Bach, C.P.E.

Beethoven, L. van

Danzi, Franz

Dussek, J.L.

Haydn, J.

Kuhlau, Friedrich

Moscheies, Ignaz

Mozart, W.A.

Schubert, F.

Awards