KD SCHMID Rafal Blechacz by Marco Borggreve

Soloist

Rafał Blechacz

Piano

Biography – about the artist.

Since his victory in the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2005 Rafał Blechacz has since established himself firmly on the international concert scene and is recognised as his generation’s greatest performer of Chopin’s works. The Polish pianist is celebrated by both the audience and the press worldwide for his profound and virtuosic interpretations. Furthermore, he is the winner of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award in 2014 – an award given every four years to a distinguished, extraordinary concert pianist regardless of age or nationality.

Blechacz has performed with renowned orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Camerata Salzburg, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra dell' Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He gives recitals in the world’s major concert halls including Philharmonie Berlin, Prinzregententheater Munich, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Wigmore Hall London, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Teatro alla Scala Milan, Wiener Konzerthaus and BOZAR - Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, as well as further afield in the USA and in Asia.


His 2022/2023 season is filled with many highlights, including recitals in Italy, Paris and Brussels. A tour with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie brings him to Kaiserslautern, Saarbrücken and Salzburg, a concert with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana to Munich's Isarphilharmonie. He appears in concert with the Sinfonia Varsovia in Athens in spring 2023 and finally with Nationaltheater-Orchester Mannheim to round off Rafał Blechacz's season extremely well.

Blechacz is an exclusive recording artist of Deutsche Grammophon. His debut recording of Chopin's Préludes won the Platinum Record status in his native Poland, as well as a German ECHO Klassik and French Diapason d’Or award. His recording of both Chopin concerti with the Concertgebouworkest under the baton of Jerzy Semkow was awarded the ‘Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik’. In 2012, his recording of works by Debussy and Szymanowski was released and awarded ‘Recording of the Month’ by the Gramophone magazine and ‘Solo Recording of the Year’ by ECHO Klassik. Further albums with polonaises by Chopin or works by Bach, as well as his duo album with the violinist Bomsori have delighted listeners and the press alike in recent years.

Born in 1985, Blechacz began his studies aged five, continuing his piano education in the Arthur Rubinstein State School of Music in Bydgoszcz. In 2007, he graduated from the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, the piano class of Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń. In 2016, Rafał Blechacz received his doctorate in music philosophy.

SEASON 2022/2023

The next dates:

01.07.2023

Regentenbau Bad Kissingen

Bad Kissingen

> more about the promoter

17.10.2023

Konzerthaus Wien

Wien

> more about the promoter

Your contact persons:

Germany, Austria:

Julia Albrecht

+49 511 36607-39

julia.albrecht@kdschmid.de

Germany, Austria:

Jannik Baeßler

+49 511 36607-69

jannik.baessler@kdschmid.de

Denmark and United Kingdom:

Ellen Arkwright

+44 20 7395 09-37

ellen.arkwright@kdschmid.co.uk

Regina Thimm

Senior Artist Coordinator

+49 511 36607-82

regina.thimm@kdschmid.de

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Regina Thimm

Senior Artist Coordinator

+49 511 36607-82

regina.thimm@kdschmid.de

Discography.

Johann Sebastian Bach

02.2017, Deutsche Grammophon, CD

> Amazon > iTunes

Chopin

Polonaises 1-7

01.2013, Deutsche Grammophon, CD

> Amazon > iTunes

Debussy & Szymanowski

01.2012, Deutsche Grammophon, CD

> Amazon > iTunes

Chopin

Piano Concertos

01.2009, Deutsche Grammophon, CD

> Amazon > iTunes

Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven

Sonatas

01.2008, Deutsche Grammophon, CD

> Amazon > iTunes

Press.

„His insightful and technically formidable accounts of works by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin made clear why, at 31, Mr. Blechacz is one of the major artists of his generation.“

The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, 23.07.2017

„[…] When Rafal Blechacz is tickling the ivories there is no doubt: the young musician knows his subject down to the last detail. He tells stories about royal majesty as well as deepest vulnerability. Meanwhile he keeps sight of the point and emphasizes Beethoven’s arcs of suspense.“

Luzerner Zeitung, Isabel Bischof, 16.05.2017

„Bach haven’t often sounded so up-to-date, so modern, so refreshingly lively and precise.“

Crescendo Magazin, Attila Csampai, 01.04.2017

„His insightful and technically formidable accounts of works by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin made clear why, at 31, Mr. Blechacz is one of the major artists of his generation.“

New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, 23.03.2017