Nikolaus Lahusen
German-born pianist Nikolaus Lahusen was born in Bremen in 1960 and grew up in Mexico. When he was six years old, his father sold an inherited vineyard, bought a Steinway piano and taught him the essentials of piano playing. Initially, he played the piano purely for enjoyment.
When he was fourteen, his family moved to Germany. Later, he won numerous awards, including the 2001 German Critics Prize for his recordings of the later piano sonatas of Liszt. He also dedicated himself to the recording of the complete piano works of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. He performed in Germany and abroad, and also taught at the Bremen Music Academy.
Following a battle with cancer since 1998, Nikolaus Lahusen died in Bremen on 15 May 2005, aged forty-four.