Photo: Thuen / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Leif Ove Andsnes is, for my money, one of the most thoughtful pianists alive. There is a clarity and restraint to his playing, never showy, always in service of the music, that I find endlessly satisfying. His Beethoven Journey project with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, where he directed all five concertos from the keyboard, is a landmark achievement and exactly the kind of ambitious, integrated music-making I admire. The Norwegian's Grieg, naturally, is something special too. Decades of recordings and a shelf of Spellemann awards back home only confirm it. A serious, deeply musical artist who lets the score breathe.
Overview
Leif Ove Andsnes (Norwegian pronunciation: [læɪf ˈûːvə ˈɑ̂nsneːs]; born 7 April 1970) is a Norwegian pianist and chamber musician. Andsnes has made several recordings for Virgin and EMI. In 2012, he signed with Sony Classical, and recorded for the label the "Beethoven Journey" project, which included the five piano concertos with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Leif Ove Andsnes
- Name (Japanese)
- レイフ・オヴェ・アンスネス
- Reading
- れいふ・おゔぇ・あんすねす
- Born
- April 7, 1970 (age 56)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Dog
- Origin
- Haugesund Municipality, Rogaland, Norway
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- classical pianist / conductor / academic musician / recording artist / pianist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2002 Commander of the Order of St. Olav
- 1991 Spellemann Award for choir record of the year
- 2006 Aust-Agder County Culture Award
- 2010 Stavanger Aftenblads kulturpris
- 1990 Griegprisen
- 1998 Spellemann Award of the year
- 1992 Spellemannprisen in chamber music
- 1993 Spellemannprisen in chamber music
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Conductor — see all → · More people from Norway →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.