José Gallardo

Argentine musician José Gallardo became a collaborative pianist when he moved to Germany to further his musical education. He has remained in Germany and has become an in-demand figure in chamber music there. Gallardo has a substantial recording catalog, marked by collaborations with world-class figures. In 2025, he joined clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer on the album Romanza. Gallardo was born in Buenos Aires on January 4, 1970. His piano lessons started at age five. He graduated from a conservatory in Buenos Aires and then moved to Germany for studies at the University of Mainz. His primary teacher there was Poldi Mildner. Gallardo graduated in 1997, and by that time, he had developed a strong interest in chamber music, going on to devote his career to that field. He has named Menahem Pressler, Alfonso Montecino, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Eberhard Feltz, Sergiu Celibidache, Rosalyn Tureck, and Bernard Greenhouse as influences. Gallardo made his recording debut in 2005, backing violinist Linus Roth on the album Violin Sonatas: Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Ysaÿe on the EMI Classics label. Two years later, he returned with Astor Piazzolla: Le Grand Tango on Hänsser Classic, joining violinist Friedemann Eichhorn and cellist Julius Berger. Gallardo's collaborators include such major figures as violinists Gidon Kremer and Maxim Vengerov and cellist Steven Isserlis. He has appeared in prestigious halls such as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Berlin Philharmonie, and Wigmore Hall in London. He has performed in Asia, Oceania, South America, and Israel. Gallardo has been highly visible at festivals across multiple European countries, including such high-profile events as the Verbier Festival and Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele in Germany, and the Chopin Festival in Warsaw. His recordings have appeared on many labels and have emphasized German and Austrian repertory while venturing into French and Russian music. In 2025, Gallardo and clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer released the album Romanza on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Gallardo has taught at the University of Mainz and the University of Augsburg, and he and Ottensamer are artistic directors of the Bürgenstock Festivals in Lucerne. ~ James Manheim, Rovi