Håkon Austbø has been active as a pianist for over 50 years. His first performance with orchestra in Bergen in 1963, and his first recital in Oslo in 1964, earned him much acclaim at an early age. Due to his unusual versatility and the originality of his repertoire, Håkon Austbø has held a coveted position in the world of music. Austbø is particularly renowned for his work on Messiaen’s music. His personal contact with the composer made him one of the bearers of an authentic tradition, confirmed by the first prize in the Messiaen competition at Royan in 1971, and by several other prizes for his Messiaen performances, such as the Edison prize, Amsterdam 1998. Another focus of Austbø’s work has been the music of Scriabin. By coincidence, both these composers have combined colours and sounds, and Austbø has made this an important part of his work and studies. He realised the first authentic performance of the colour part of Scriabin’s Prométhée in the Netherlands in the 90s.

Austbø has been engaged in a project called The reflective musician, aiming at the unveiling of forces which lead to genuine and personal interpretations of classical and contemporary works. This implies looking with fresh eyes at well-known repertoire, free from the ballast of tradition. Austbø has always cherished this attitude and challenged the conformity of the music business, crossing borders well before this became mainstream. He has worked with poets, actors, choreographers, artists and jazz musicians and included unusual repertoire in his creative programming.