FRITZ STEINEGGER - CONCERT PIANIST

FRITZ STEINEGGER -- a native of Phoenix, Arizona -- studied in New York with Wolfgang Rose, at the Akademie in Vienna with Ludwig Czaczkes, and at the Conservatoire in Geneva with Nikita Magaloff.

A prize-winner at the International Casella Competition, he went on to play recital tours of Europe, appearing as soloist with such leading ensembles as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Radio Cologne Orchestra, and the Scarlatti Orchestra of Naples.

Steinegger's recent activities have been centered in Latin America, where he concertizes widely, from Mexico to Argentina. Mexico City's leading newspaper, Novedades, recently hailed him as "something quite different: a free spirit in the world of classical music".

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A Review from Retired Univ of N. Carolina Piano Faculty Thomas G. Turner:

There is nothing ordinary about Fritz Steinegger's performances.? In the Schubert Impromptu, the long strands of notes, like strings of pearls, radiate, each with its own unique hue, while at the same time fitting into a perfectly formed line.? By contrast, in the Fantaisie-Impromptu the chains of notes are released in waves.? The Bach is likewise very satisfying, an ideal combination of technical mastery and consummate
artistry and, most impressively, clarity of musical texture.
? The Mozart Rondo is played as though the pianist had never even heard lesser performances.? There are no exaggerated accents here, in fact, the whole performance has a lyrical urgency about it that makes it sound like it was actually written by Mozart, instead of, as many performances
suggest, some heavy-handed amateur.

In the Beethoven Concerto, the piano is bright, its entrance
breathtaking.? Throughout, one hears aspects of Beethoven that are never bombastic, but frequently, caressing.
Steinegger knows how to tease with the occasional understatement, but it is always a compelling understatement.? Instead of the usual crescendo on ascending notes, he might draw the listener into the music even more by making a decrescendo where it is delightfully unanticipated.
Steinegger's recordings also illustrate what a vital musical culture there is in Mexico today.? Nobody should pass them up.
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