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Krystian Zimerman

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Not to be confused with dressage rider Christian Zimmermann.
A portrait photography of a man with white hair, moustache and beard, peering over a pair of large sun-glasses
Krystian Zimerman in 2018

Krystian Zimerman (born 5 December 1956) is a Polish pianist and conductor who has been described as one of the finest living pianists.[1][2] In 1975, he won the IX International Chopin Piano Competition.

Biography

Zimerman was born in Zabrze, Poland, and studied at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice under Andrzej Jasiński. His international career was launched when he won the 1975 Warsaw International Chopin Piano Competition. He performed with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1976, conducted by Herbert Blomstedt.[3] He debuted in the United States with the New York Philharmonic in 1979. He has toured widely and made a number of recordings. Since 1996, he has taught piano at the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland. In 1999, Zimerman created the Polish Festival Orchestra to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin's death.[4]

Zimerman is best known for his interpretations of Romantic music, but has performed a wide variety of classical pieces and is a supporter of contemporary music. Witold Lutosławski wrote his piano concerto for Zimerman, who has recorded it two times. Among his best-known recordings are the concerti of Grieg and Schumann with Herbert von Karajan; the Brahms concerti with Leonard Bernstein, the piano concerti of Chopin, one recording conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini and a later one conducted by himself at the keyboard; the Third, Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos of Beethoven under Bernstein (Zimerman himself led the Vienna Philharmonic from the keyboard in Beethoven's First and Second Concertos); the first and second piano concerti of Rachmaninoff; the piano concerti of Liszt with Seiji Ozawa, the piano concerti of Ravel with Pierre Boulez, and solo piano works by Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and Schubert. In 2006, Zimerman recorded Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle (DG 477 5413; Limited Edition DG 477 6021).

Zimerman has collaborated with conductors and artists such as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, Carlo Maria Giulini, Bernard Haitink, Herbert von Karajan, Kirill Kondrashin, Erich Leinsdorf, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Stanisław Skrowaczewski or Wolfgang Sawallisch.[5]

Criticism of US policy

On 26 April 2009, Zimerman vowed to his audience at Los Angeles's Walt Disney Concert Hall that, in protest of America's placement of a missile defense shield in Poland, this would be his final appearance in the United States.[2][6] He had made a similar comment in 2006, stating he would not return until George W. Bush was out of office.[7] As of November 2019 he has not made any further appearances in the United States.[8] Part of his disenchantment with the USA may be the increased security at US airports, which makes it difficult to bring his piano into the country. In incidents in 2001 and 2006, one of his Steinway pianos was completely destroyed and another one damaged by security staff at New York JFK airport.[9][10][11][12][13]

Personal life

Zimerman lives with his wife and two children in Binningen, near Basel, Switzerland,[14][15] where he has spent the greater part of his life. He divides his time among family, concerts, and performances of chamber music. When not touring or building pianos, he has been editing piano editions of the works of Władysław Szpilman for Boosey & Hawkes and has written a piece on aesthetics, which was published in Poland in March 2005.[citation needed]

Awards and honours

Discography

Most of Zimerman's recordings have been released by Deutsche Grammophon, with which he has an exclusive lifelong contract.

Studio albums

Date of issue Date of recording Album details Collaborating artists Record label Catalogue no.
1975 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 Jerzy Maksymiuk conducting
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra 		Polskie Nagrania Muza
1977 Chopin: Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise & other piano works Deutsche Grammophon 2530 826
1978 Chopin: 14 Waltzes Deutsche Grammophon 2530 965
1978 January 1978 Mozart: Piano Sonatas KV280, 281, 311 & 330 Deutsche Grammophon 2531 052
1979 Mozart: Violin Sonatas KV 547, 404 & 481 Kaja Danczowska (violin) Wifon
1979 November 1978 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 Carlo Maria Giulini conducting
Los Angeles Philharmonic 		Deutsche Grammophon 2531 125
1980 November 1979 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 Carlo Maria Giulini conducting
Los Angeles Philharmonic 		Deutsche Grammophon 2531 126
1980 June 1979 Brahms: Piano Sonatas No. 1 & 2 Deutsche Grammophon 2531 252
1981 July 1980 Franck: Violin Sonata / Szymanowski: Mythes Kaja Danczowska (violin) Deutsche Grammophon
1982 September 1981 Schumann: Piano Concerto Op. 54; Grieg: Piano Concerto Op. 16 Berlin Philharmonic
(conducted by Herbert von Karajan) 		Deutsche Grammophon
1983 Brahms: Piano Sonata No.3, Scherzo Op. 4, Balladen Op. 10
Deutsche Grammophon 423 401-2
1984 November 1983 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 Vienna Philharmonic
(conducted by Leonard Bernstein) 		Deutsche Grammophon 431 207-2
1985 October 1984 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 Vienna Philharmonic
(conducted by Leonard Bernstein) 		Deutsche Grammophon 415 359-2
1986 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 Kyrill Kondrashin conducting
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 		Deutsche Grammophon
1988 April 1987 Liszt: Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2; Totentanz; Piano Sonata S.178; Nauages gris s.199; La notte S.602; La Lugubre Gondola S.200 no.2; Funérailles Seiji Ozawa conducting
Boston Symphony Orchestra 		Deutsche Grammophon 423 571-2
1988 July 1987 Chopin: 4 Ballades; Barcarolle, Op. 60; Fantasie in F Deutsche Grammophon 423 090-2
1989 July 1988 Strauss: Violin Sonata Op. 18 / Respighi: Violin Sonata Kyung-Wha Chung (violin) Deutsche Grammophon
1991 February 1990 Schubert: Impromptus D.899 & D.935 Deutsche Grammophon 423 612-2
1991 March 1991 Liszt: Sonata in B minor & other piano works Deutsche Grammophon 431 780-2
1992 November 1989 & March 1990 Lutosławski: Piano Concerto; Chain 3; Novelette BBC Symphony Orchestra
(conducted by Witold Lutosławski) 		Deutsche Grammophon 431 664-2
1992 September 1989 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 & 4 Leonard Bernstein conducting
Vienna Philharmonic 		Deutsche Grammophon 429 749-2
1992 September 1989 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" Leonard Bernstein conducting
Vienna Philharmonic 		Deutsche Grammophon 429 748-2
1992 December 1991 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 & 2 Himself conducting
Vienna Philharmonic 		Deutsche Grammophon 437 545-2
1994 August 1991 Debussy: Preludes Deutsche Grammophon
1998 November 1994 (Tracks 1-11)
July 1996 (Track 12) 		Ravel: Piano Concerto; Valses nobles et sentimentales;
Concerto for the Left Hand in D major 		The Cleveland Orchestra (Tracks 1-11)
London Symphony Orchestra (Track 12)
(conducted by Pierre Boulez) 		Deutsche Grammophon 449 213-2
1999 August 1999 Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Himself conducting
Polish Festival Orchestra 		Deutsche Grammophon 459 684-2
2003 December 1997 (No.1)
December 2000 (No.2) 		Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Boston Symphony Orchestra
(conducted by Seiji Ozawa) 		Deutsche Grammophon 459 643-2
2005 November 2001 Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 1 Chicago Symphony Orchestra
(conducted by Pierre Boulez) 		Deutsche Grammophon
2006 September 2003 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 Berliner Philharmonic
(conducted by Sir Simon Rattle) 		Deutsche Grammophon
2011 February 2009 Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No. 2; Quintets Nos. 1 & 2 Kaja Danczowska (violin)
Agata Szymczewska (violin)
Ryszard Groblewski (viola)
Rafal Kwiatkowski (cello) 		Deutsche Grammophon
2015 February 2013 Lutoslawski: Piano Concerto (1987 - 88),Symphony No. 2 ( 1965 -67) Berliner Philharmonic
(conducted by Sir Simon Rattle) 		Deutsche Grammophon 479 451-8
2017 September 2016 Schubert: Piano Sonatas D.959 & D.960 Deutsche Grammophon 479 7588
2018 June 2018 Bernstein: Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" Berliner Philharmonic
(conducted by Sir Simon Rattle) 		Deutsche Grammophon 483 5539

Live albums

Date of issue Date of recording Cover art Album details Collaborating artists Record label Catalogue no.
1977 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 "Pathétique"
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No.3, Op.28
Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No.2 		Polskie Nagrania Muza
1986 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
(recorded in 1979) 		Kyrill Kondrashin conducting
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 		Deutsche Grammophon

Video releases

Date of issue Date of filming Video details Collaborating artists Record label Catalogue no.
1984 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 Leonard Bernstein conducting Vienna Philharmonic Deutsche Grammophon
1985 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 Leonard Bernstein conducting Vienna Philharmonic Deutsche Grammophon
1995 Chopin: 4 Ballades; Fantasie; Barcarolle; Scherzo No. 2 / Schubert: 4 Impromptus Op. 90 Deutsche Grammophon

See also

References

  1. ^ "In praise of ... Krystian Zimerman". The Guardian. London. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  2. ^ a b Swed, Mark (27 April 2009). "Review: Krystian Zimerman's controversial appearance at Disney Hall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  3. ^ "Berliner Philharmoniker Blomstedt-Thielemann-Kavakos". Berliner-philharmoniker.de. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  4. ^ Culture.pl (15 October 2015). "Krystian Zimerman - Biography | Artist". Culture.pl. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Krystian Zimerman". Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Krystian Zimerman, declares US boycott in protest at Disney Hall in Los Angeles". Ireport.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  7. ^ Gumbel, Andrew (28 April 2009). "Classical music and opera Polish pianist stops show with anti-US tirade". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  8. ^ Tour Dates (Kristian Zimerman) - accessed 26 November 2019
  9. ^ "Piano great says he won't return to U.S. - today". Today.com. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  10. ^ Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles (28 April 2009). "Polish pianist stops show with anti-US tirade | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  11. ^ "klassik.com : Pianist Krystian Zimerman unterbricht Konzert wegen Smartphone-Mitschnitt aus dem Publikum". Magazin.klassik.com. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  12. ^ Vasagar, Jeevan (4 June 2013). "Pianist Krystian Zimerman storms out of concert in protest at being filmed on phone". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  13. ^ "Krystian Zimerman speaks". Timesargus.com. 20 October 2006. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  14. ^ Anthony Tommasini (13 April 1997). "Sidestepping The Celebrity Circuit". The New York Times.
  15. ^ "Polska Muza - Siedem Odsłon". Polskamuza.eu. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  16. ^ "Krystian Zimerman". Culture.pl. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  17. ^ "UROCZYSTOŚĆ INAUGURACJI ROKU AKADEMICKIEGO 2015/2016". Chopin.edu.pl. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
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