Presentation

Diane Andersen's musical education was influenced by great pianists and musicians issued mainly from Austrian-Hungarian piano school. She graduated from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles with Polish pianist Stefan Askenase, a wonderful Chopin and Mozart player, had master classes with Edith Farnadi and Annie Fischer, the legendary Hungarian pianist. She had close contacts to composers like Kodaly, Tansman, Milhaud and was during years the duo partner of André Gertler, famous Hungarian violinist, friend and partner of Béla Bartok. 

Concerts

During her career Andersen has been playing in famous venues such as Victoria Hall (Geneva), Palais des Beaux-Arts (Brussels), Liszt Ferenc Zeneakademia (Budapest), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Teatro della Fenice (Venice), Carnegie Hall (New York), Rudolfinum (Prague), St.-Martin in the Fields (London) etc.

She performed under the baton of Bruno Maderna, Pierre Boulez, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Geogres Prêtre, Jean Fournet, Okko Kamu, a.o. with orchestras like Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, R.A.I. Roma, O.P.L. Liège, Orchestre National Belgium, Halle Symphony Orchestra (Germany), philharmonic orchestras of the Hilversum radios (Holland).

Diane Andersen was also given the privilege to play the first performance of the Bartok "Scherzo for piano and orchestra"  in Western Europe on request of  Prof. Denijs Dille, founder of the Bartok Archivum in Budapest, friend and biographer of Béla Bartok and editor of the Scherzo.

Recordings

Always in search for new or forgotten music Andersen enriched the repertoire with many interesting CDs (EMI, Pavane,Cypres, Fuga Libera, Talent, EMS, Supraphon, Azur classical ), many in world premiere. A. o. the complete piano work by Gabriel Pierné and Joseph Jongen.

Andersen is a very active chamber music player as well and her many CDs with works by Czerny, Alexandre Tansman (two pianos four hands), Adolphe Biarent, Joseph Jongen, Ernst Toch piano quintets with the Quatuor Danel, also Toch Second Piano concerto with Halle Philharmonic Orchestra and Hans Rotman conducting, were receiving enthusiastic reviews and awards.

Andersen has premiered works by American composers Michael Slayton and Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee (the piano concerto and other pieces written specially for her). With the "Ensemble Joseph Jongen", of which she is the founder, she has created works by Andrzej Kwiecinski, Alain Weber, as well as rediscovered pieces by René de Castéra, Albert Roussel a.o.

CD's in world premiere :

  • Belgian composer Victor Vreuls (1876-1944) (Cypres): violin and piano sonatas
  • the solo piano music of French composer Émile Goué (1904-1946) (Azur Classical)
  • In 2015, the complete violin and piano music by Claude Delvincourt with first recording of the youth sonata
  • 2017: Sonatas for strings and piano by Paul Paray, world premiere
  • 2017: Piano works by Claude Delvincourt , world premiere
  • 2023: Tribute to Blanche Selva with piano works dedicated to her by Pierre de Bréville (world premiere), Cecile Gauthiez (world premiere),Vincent d’Indy, Georges Migot, Guy Ropartz (CIAR)

 

Teaching

Hononary Professor of the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels, Andersen pursues a very intensive pedagogical activity and is currently invited to give master classes all over Europe, Argentina, Moscow (Gnessine Institut), Japan, China (Shenzen, Chengdu (Sichuan), Shanghai Conservatoire, Seoul (Korea), the US (Boston, Lipscomb and Cincinnatti Universities, Smith's College, NEC Boston, etc.). 

'Artist in residence' at Queens University, Kingston, Canada, March 2010. 

Two pedagogical DVD's recorded for EMC Japan with works by Ravel and Milhaud.

Competitions

Andersen serves currently on the Jury of important international competitions such as OCI (Orléans Competition International), C.I.P.C.E. Madrid, Alexander Tansman International Competition Lodz Poland, Isidor Bajic (Serbia), International Piano Competition Enschede, "Roma" International Piano competition, International Piano competition Zagreb and Osijek Croatia, Concours International Francis Poulenc (Brive), "Brin d'Herbe" competition Orléans.

Member of the Jury and of the Artistic Committee of the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Music Competition.  

Awards

  • "FUGA" Trophy (Belgian Composers Union)
  • Harriet Cohen International Bach-Medal (London)
  • Grand Prix du Disque Académie Charles Cros (Paris)
  • Cannes International Classical Music Award, in 2003
  • "Steinway Artist".

Publications

  • "Joseph Jongen, a great Belgian composer" (2003) in "Bilten" (EPTA-Slovenia)
  • "Alexandre Tansman : Les relations avec la Belgique" in Alexandre Tansman, Presses de l'Université de Paris-Sorbonne, Musiques/Ecritures Série Etudes
  • "Les notions de rythme, silence et intelligence chez Blanche Selva" in Blanche Selva, naissance d'un piano moderne. Editions Symétrie 2010
  • "Éloge funèbre: Alexandre Tansman" in Bulletin de la Classe des Arts, 6e série Tome XXII, Académie Royale de Belgique 2011
  • "Émile Goué: l’œuvre pianistique" in  Émile Goué : Chaînon manquant de la musique française, sous la direction de Philippe Malhaire, Paris, L'Harmattan, coll. "L'Univers musical", 2014, p. 149-165.
  • "Blanche Selva: Motion & Mind" sur le site http://www.blanche-selva.com/d.-andersen-conference.html
  • "Blanche Selva: Motion and Mind"  in "Aller Anfang ist..." Dokumentation 2013-2014-EPTA-Deutschland: Staccato Verlag-Düsseldorf- 2015

Interviews

  • Interview in Great Pianists and Pedagogues by Carola Grindea (London: Kahn & Averill, 2007)
  • Interview and cover of the "Piano Journal" London,  issue 77.