He'll be performing at the 2024 BBC Proms, giving us a performance of Mozart's final Piano Concerto, Number 27, at Prom 43, which also features Ravel's Mother Goose suite and the orchestral version of Mussorgsky's magnificent Pictures at an Exhibition.
But who is Paul Lewis and what are his greatest recordings?
Who is Paul Lewis?
Paul Lewis is one of the most acclaimed pianists recording today. He's admired especially for his interpretations of the sonatas of Beethoven and Schubert, although he has also turned his hand to the piano works of Shostakovich, Liszt, Brahms, Fauré, Debussy and Stravinsky.
How old is Paul Lewis?
Lewis was born on 20 May 1972, in Liverpool.
Where did he grow up?
Lewis grew up in Liverpool, where his father worked at the city docks. His mother worked for the city council. Interestingly, there were no musicians in Lewis' family.
Where did Paul Lewis study?
Also intriguingly, Lewis didn't start out as a pianist. Instead, he began by playing the cello, as that was the only instrument for which he could have lessons at his school.
- Jacqueline du Pre: the woman who made Elgar's cello concerto a household name
- Abel Selaocoe on the pieces of music every cellist should play
It didn't take long, though, for the young Lewis to discover his love and aptitude for the piano. At the age of 14 he got a place at Chetham's School of Music, where he made great strides with the instrument. His teachers at Chetham's included the great pianist Alfred Brendel, who was an important mentor for the young Lewis.
Paul Lewis: best recordings
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
David Cairns of The Sunday Times once said that there is nothing more exhilarating than a good performance of the Diabelli Variations, and Paul Lewis’s is nothing short of outstanding. Dynamic and sensitive, his playing throughout maintains its vibrant energy, which delivers the quite unmissable recording that earned him the accolade of BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month in July 2011.
Click here for disc details and a full review.
Complete Beethoven Sonatas
Essential when getting to grips with Lewis’s recordings, this award-winning collection of recordings (released initially in four volumes) was consistently given four or five stars by our critics, one of whom said: 'Paul Lewis is a serious artist, and the quality of his playing, beautifully captured by Harmonia Mundi’s engineers, is of a very high standard throughout.'
Click here for a review of the fourth volume of this set
- Five of the best recordings of Beethoven's sonata cycles
- The best recordings of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
Schubert: Piano Sonata in A, D959; Piano Sonata in B flat, D960
After embarking on a two year project in 2011 to perform all the mature piano works from the last 6 years of Schubert’s life across the globe, it is fair to say Lewis is a leading interpreter of the composer’s piano sonatas. Our critic said of this disc: 'Lewis's playing is remarkable, both for technical control and depth of understanding'.
Schubert: Piano Sonatas D840, D850, D894 & Impromptus D899
In this recording Lewis further demonstrates his affinity with Schubert’s late sonatas on Nos 15, 17 and 18 with the addition of Four Impromptus and the Klavierstücke. Our critic said: 'I enjoyed every moment of these two superbly recorded discs...These are model accounts, in which Lewis, clearly a modest man, is intent on keeping himself out of the picture'.
Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos (BBC Symphony Orchestra)
Lewis’s performance of the complete concertos at the 2010 Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and this subsequent recording brought him widespread acclaim. Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote: 'Though the catalogue of Beethoven concerto recordings is crowded, this new set is an exciting addition.'
Here Lewis demonstrates a fascinating ability to display his spotless technique while remaining modest in his approach to virtuosity.
Polly Bartlett