Peter Waldner

Teacher of Organ and Harpsichord⋅Department of Music Education Innsbruck

Peter Waldner is considered a leading expert in the rich repertoire and performance practice of the harpsichord, organ and fortepiano. His interpretative interests focus primarily on Renaissance and Baroque music, particularly the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as the early Classical period. He is artistic director of the Innsbruck early music concert series Abendmusic – Lebensmusik and founder of the Tyrolean early music ensemble vita & anima.

The harpsichordist and organist Peter Waldner studied musicology and German at the University of Innsbruck as well as harpsichord, organ and piano at the Tyrolean State Conservatory with Reinhard Jaud and Bojidar Noev. Scholarships from the State of Tyrol and the Federal Ministry of Education enabled him to continue his studies abroad, including harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam and William Christie in Paris, historical organ with Hans van Nieuwkoop and Kees van Houten in the Netherlands, and clavichord and organ with Jean-Claude Zehnder at the Schola Cantorum in Basel. He also participated in masterclasses with leading specialists including Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini, Jesper Christensen, Kenneth Gilbert, Harald Vogel, Pierre Han Tai and Daniel Roth.

Since 1988, Waldner has been organist at Mariahilf parish in Innsbruck. He performs regularly throughout Europe and has appeared at numerous early music festivals. His extensive recording career includes studio and radio productions for ORF, RAI and the Dutch broadcaster KRO, as well as a series of CD recordings of early music on historical keyboard instruments, released by ORF Tirol and Vorarlberg, Extraplatte and ORF – Edition Alte Musik. His two CDs Orgellandschaft Ritten I & II received the Pasticcio Prize from Austrian Radio Ö1.

For many years, Waldner has devoted particular attention to the keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach, performing the composer's major cycles several times in concert, including The Art of Fugue, both books of The Well-Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, French Suites, Inventions and Sinfonias, The Musical Offering, the Orgelbüchlein and the Leipzig and Schübler Chorales. He has also collaborated with renowned early music ensembles including La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations under Jordi Savall, Atalanta Fugiens Milano, La Venexiana, Prihsna Ensemble, Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse, Piccolo Concerto Vienna and Oni Wytars.

Waldner has received several awards and scholarships for his work, including a scholarship from Bösendorfer in 1989, the Music Promotion Prize of the Tyrolean Savings Banks in 1991 and the Jacob Stainer Prize of the State of Tyrol in 1994 for his contribution to the interpretation of early music on historical keyboard instruments.