Rudolf Buchbinder is among the most highly regarded pianists of our time, particularly for his interpretations of the works of Ludwig van Beethoven. He has performed the 32 sonatas for piano worldwide more than 60 times and has continued to develop the history of interpretation of these works for decades. In December 2021 Deutsche Grammophon released a complete recording of the 32 sonatas and five concertos for piano on the occasion of his 75th birthday. The cycle of the five concertos for piano by Ludwig van Beethoven originated during the 2019/20 concert season at the Vienna Musikverein, where Rudolf Buchbinder performed the complete works with partners such as the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Andris Nelsons, Wiener Philharmoniker and Riccardo Muti, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, and Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden with Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev, and Christian Thielemann.
As a contribution to the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's birth, Rudolf Buchbinder has initiated a new cycle of Diabelli Variations. Following its genesis, Buchbinder involved eleven contemporary composers of different generations and origins - among them Toshio Hosokawa, Brad Lubman, Max Richter, Tan Dun and Jörg Widmann - and asked them to write their own variations.
Rudolf Buchbinder is an honorary member of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, the Vienna Konzerthausgesellschaft and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He is the first soloist to be awarded the Golden Badge of Honour by the Staatskapelle Dresden. He is Conductor artistic director of the Grafenegg Festival.
Rudolf Buchbinder has published an autobiography entitled Da Capo and the book My Beethoven - Life with the Master. His latest work, The Last Waltz, was published to coincide with the premiere of the New Diabelli Variations in March 2020 and tells 33stories about Beethoven, Diabelli and playing the piano.