Of Austrian and French-Italian origin, Bruno Leonardo Gelber was born in Argentina to musical parents and was introduced to the piano
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　at the age of three and a half by his mother, who then remained his most important musical influence. 

 

　　　　　Bruno Leonardo Gelber made his first public appearance in Argentina at the age of five and when he was six he began to study with
　　　　　　Vincenzo 　Scaramuzza. A year later Bruno Leonardo Gelber suffered a severe polio attack which completely confined him to bed for more than
　　　twelve months. But as 　　music was the most important part of his life his parents had the family piano adjusted so that it could slide above
　　 　his bed so the young Gelber could continue to 　practise.

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　By the age of fifteen, having played the Schumann concerto under Lorin Maazel, Bruno Leonardo Gelber had become a household
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　name in South America. At the age of nineteen, he was given a grant by the French government which enabled him to travel to
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Paris and study.  　Marguerite Long heard him play there and she declared that he would be her last pupil, but that he would
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　undoubtedly be her finest. Encouraged by Marguerite 　Long to present himself at her competition, he obtained third place which caused
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　an uproar by the public and press who acclaimed him triumphant.

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　In Europe it was to be the beginning of an immense international career which led Bruno Leonardo Gelber to perform extensively
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　in recital as well as with 　orchestra.... altogether he has given more than 4600 concerts.

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Patrons of his early concerts were personalities such as Ernest Ansermet, Rudolph Kempe, George Szell, Joseph Krips, Kyril Kondrachine,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Alceo Galliera, 　Joseph Keilbert, Antal Dorati.

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Bruno Leonardo Gelber has also played under the direction of conductors such as Ferdinand Leitner, Klaus Tennstedt, Eric Leinsdorf,
　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Kurt Masur, Sergiu 　Celibidache, Sir Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, Lorin Maazel, Mstislav Rostropovich, Riccardo Chailly,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Christophe Eschenbach, Esa-Pekka 　　　　　Salonen amongst others.  He has also performed  with renowned orchestras and institutions
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Musikverein, Tonhalle 　　Zurich, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, l’Orchestre de Montreal,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Philadelphia Orchestra, N.H.K. Tokyo, l’Orpheus Chamber Orchestra,
　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, London Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic. He has also performed
　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　at La Scala Milan, and at the Salzburg, Granada, Aix-en-Provence, Lucerne and Zurich Festivals.
　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　In the United States he has played with Stanford Festival and the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　among others and an appearance at Carnegie Hall was highly acclaimed by the critic Schoenberg.

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Bruno Leonardo Gelber has toured Australia with huge success and continues to tour extensively.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Recent engagements have led him not only to Europe (Berlin, Paris, Athens, Vienna, London, Germany, Italy...) but as
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　usual in the United States and also in Russia where he played under Vladimir Spivakov conducting his orchestra in Moscow at the
　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Tchaikovsky Conservatory but also in Saint Petersburg with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yuri Temirkanov.

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Bruno Leonardo Gelber's recordings, all of which have been universally acclaimed, have won several prestigious awards including the
　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　Grand Prix de L'Academie Charles Cros and Le Prix de l'Academie de Paris. His recordings for EMI include a remarkable recording of both
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Brahms Piano Concertos, the Third and Fifth Beethoven Piano Concertos, and a recording of romantic sonatas. The earlier recordings for
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Denon of the Beethoven Sonatas were recognised by the New York Times as one of the best recordings of 1989. Of the four Beethoven discs
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　currently available, CD Review Magazine wrote "... quite simply the finest I have ever heard ..
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　. 　I could eulogise about the rest but there is no need;
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THIS IS A PIANIST IN A MILLION.  All in all, four CDs to really listen to and talk about".

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　EMI Classics has released a few weeks ago a box of two CDs including pieces by Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Chopin and Liszt recorded a
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　few years ago for the label.

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The prestigious critic of Munich, Kaiser wrote "he is a marvel". Arthur Rubinstein considered him one of the greatest pianists of his generation
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　and chose him to participate in a film that Francois Reichenbach dedicated to Rubinstein.

 

　"He is one of those artists who teach us more about those works we thought we knew well and who will in the future,
we know, continue to teach us yet more." 

(Clarendon in the Paris’ newspaper Le Figaro)

 

 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　According to the French magazine Diapason, Bruno Leonardo GELBER is one of the hundred greatest pianists of the century.