The German-Greek pianist and harpsichordist Andreas Skouras was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1972. He studied piano with Prof. Franz Massinger and harpsichord with Prof. Lars Ulrik Mortensen at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Skouras has worked with major orchestras and ensembles (including Vienna Philharmonic, Bavarian State Orchestra, ASKO Ensemble, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble intercontemporain) under conductors such as Peter Eötvös, Susanna Mälkki, Lucas Vis, Ralf Gothóni, Constantinos Carydis, Markus Poschner, Christoph Poppen, Dirk Kaftan, and Jac van Steen. His enormous repertoire spans five centuries of music, and his skills are documented in numerous recordings. Andreas Skouras has been awarded the City of Munich Music Scholarship and the Bavarian Art Promotion Prize, among others.
On this CD, Andreas Skouras devotes himself to études for piano by a wide variety of composers. In addition to one exemplary example each of the better-known études by György Ligeti and Pascal Dusapin, Skouras has included Béla Bartók's Three Studies, Op. 18, the Drei Etüden Op. 23, by Ligeti's student Wolfgang von Schweinitz, the 6 Études sur des rythmes populaires grecs by Greek composer Yannis Constantinidis, and the piano etudes by Siemens Prize winner Unsuk Chin.
The result is a varied collection of piano pieces in which Andreas Skouras demonstrates his great skill.