Pupil of the pianist Ignaz Tiegerman in Cairo, his birthplace, he works then in Paris with Lazare Lévy, Joseph Benvenuti, Jean Hubeau and Madeleine Giraudeau in the conservatoire de Paris where he obtains the first prices of piano and chamber music.

He enters thereafter, for four years, in Juilliard school of New York, where he receives the teaching of Carlos Buhler, Beveridge Webster and Paul Makanovitsky.

His career leads him everywhere in Europe, in the United States, in Japan where he plays with the orchestra of the NHK. He receives with Jean Jacques Kantorow the Franz Liszt international price of Budapest in 1978, and the Frederic Chopin international price of Warsaw in 1990 for their recording of the three sonatas of Chopin. In parallel, Jerôme Robbins introduces him to the opera of Paris. This close cooperation with the dance has continued for more than ten years, as well on the opera Garnier Stage as in international tour.

Henri Barda taught the piano in the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He was a friend of Olivier Greif, of whom he created the Sonata in ancient taste as well as the Tombeau de Ravel (in duet with the author) and the Petite cantate de chambre.