The Hungarian pianist Sir András Schiff has been named among the recipients of Japan’s 2025 Praemium Imperiale, a group of awards for the arts established to mark the centennial of the Japan Art Association.

It’s yet another prestigious honour for the 71-year-old pianist, who already has a Grammy, Gramophone Classical Music Award, Mozart Medal and a Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize to his name. He was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to music.

András Schiff. Photo © Nicolas Brodard

One of the great interpreters of composers from Bach to Bartók, Schiff began playing the piano at the age of five and studied at the Liszt Academy in Budapest, later continuing his training in London under the renowned harpsichordist George Malcolm.

Recognising that “a pianist’s life is often a solitary one,” Schiff founded his own chamber orchestra, Cappella Andrea Barca, in 1999. He also conducts, believing that “conducting broadens one’s perspective,” and is active as a musician well beyond the traditional role of a pianist. 

Passionate about sharing music and mentoring the next generation, Schiff often speaks to his audience during concerts, viewing “being...