Peter Katin

Peter Roy Katin was born in London on 14 November 1930 and trained as a pianist at the Royal Academy of Music, where he entered at the age of twelve to study with Harold Craxton. His recital debut at the Wigmore Hall took place in 1948, and his concerts throughout England were followed by tours of Europe, Africa, the United States and Japan.

In 1952 he made his debut at the Proms, and the following year he enjoyed a notable success there with Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto. In 1958 he became the first British pianist to tour the Soviet Union as a soloist. His repertoire centres on Romantic and Impressionist music, especially Chopin, and is distinguished by a direct musicality supported by a formidable technical command. He has also directed Mozart and Beethoven concertos from the keyboard.

His recordings include the Mozart sonatas, Chopin's nocturnes and impromptus, Grieg's Lyric Pieces and Rachmaninov's Preludes. He has also written numerous articles on piano technique and interpretation. He taught at the Royal Academy of Music between 1956 and 1959, at the University of Western Ontario between 1978 and 1984, and in 1992 was appointed professor at the Royal College of Music.