Artist
Jörg Demus
Jörg Demus (Sankt Pölten, 2 December 1928 - Vienna, 16 April 2019) was an Austrian pianist and composer.
His parents were art historian Otto Demus and concert violinist Luise Demus. He began his first piano lessons at the age of six. In 1945 he graduated from the then Reichshochschule für Musik in Vienna. Jörg Demus subsequently studied orchestral conducting with Josef Krips and Hans Swarowsky. He was also a student of pianists Edwin Fischer, Walter Gieseking and Wilhelm Kempff. In 1956 he won first prize at the Feruccio Busoni International Piano Competition.
Jörg Demus gained international fame as a song accompanist for Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elly Ameling, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Peter Schreier. As a soloist he performed with, among others, Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker, for example in the piano concertos of Bach. With Paul Badura-Skoda he regularly played in a piano duo. Jörg Demus performed a phenomenal piano repertoire from memory, as evidenced by the numerous recordings of the piano works of Bach, Schumann, Debussy and Brahms. He was also an internationally recognized César Franck interpreter. Jörg Demus was a pioneer in the field of playing on historical instruments. Furthermore, he was a jury member of numerous international piano competitions. One of these was the International Piano Competition "Theodor Leschetizky" in Taiwan, led by Belgian pianist and composer Peter Ritzen.
His parents were art historian Otto Demus and concert violinist Luise Demus. He began his first piano lessons at the age of six. In 1945 he graduated from the then Reichshochschule für Musik in Vienna. Jörg Demus subsequently studied orchestral conducting with Josef Krips and Hans Swarowsky. He was also a student of pianists Edwin Fischer, Walter Gieseking and Wilhelm Kempff. In 1956 he won first prize at the Feruccio Busoni International Piano Competition.
Jörg Demus gained international fame as a song accompanist for Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elly Ameling, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Peter Schreier. As a soloist he performed with, among others, Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker, for example in the piano concertos of Bach. With Paul Badura-Skoda he regularly played in a piano duo. Jörg Demus performed a phenomenal piano repertoire from memory, as evidenced by the numerous recordings of the piano works of Bach, Schumann, Debussy and Brahms. He was also an internationally recognized César Franck interpreter. Jörg Demus was a pioneer in the field of playing on historical instruments. Furthermore, he was a jury member of numerous international piano competitions. One of these was the International Piano Competition "Theodor Leschetizky" in Taiwan, led by Belgian pianist and composer Peter Ritzen.
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