Biography
Harpsichordist Erich Traxler stands among Austria’s leading keyboard artists, with a core emphasis on early and High Baroque repertory for his instruments; he has also maintained an active profile as an organist and teacher. Born in Linz, he began his training at the city’s Bruckner Conservatory, where he pursued harpsichord, organ, and piano. He continued at Vienna’s Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst under Wolfgang Glüxam, Michael Radulescu, and Brett Leighton, earning several international competition prizes and a special merit award from the institution upon completing his studies. He then enrolled at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, studying harpsichord with Jesper Christensen and organ with Jean-Claude Zehnder, among others, and supplemented this work through master classes with Ton Koopman and Bernard Haas. First prizes at organ competitions in Goldrain, Italy, in 2003 and Bochum, Germany, in 2005 followed, although his subsequent career has centered principally on the harpsichord. As a soloist he has appeared across Europe, the Americas, South Africa, and Japan, while his chamber-music engagements have placed him with leading Baroque ensembles such as Ars Antiqua Austria, the L’Orfeo Baroque Orchestra, and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. From 2013 to 2018 he served on the faculty of Vienna’s Music and Art University (MUK) and has since conducted master classes at Notre Dame University in Indiana and at the Belgrade University of Music. Beyond numerous ensemble recordings featuring his harpsichord, he issued a solo account of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, in 2016; two years later he partnered with violinist Gunar Letzbor on a disc of Mozart violin sonatas, uncommonly performed on the harpsichord.
Albums
