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Boris Berman

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Boris Berman is a Russian pianist and teacher, born in Moscow on 3 April 1948. He studied with Lev Oborin at the Moscow Conservatory and made his debut in 1965. He played harpsichord in the only early music ensemble that Russia had at the time, and at the same time worked with contemporary composers such as Alfred Schnittke and Edison Denisov. In Russia he was the first to play works by Arnold Schönberg, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio and György Ligeti. In 1973 he was allowed to leave the Soviet Union for Israel, and in 1979 he left for the United States. There he taught at Boston University, Brandeis University and Indiana University, and he is head of the piano department at the Yale School of Music.

Music and breakthrough

He has played with many soloists and ensembles, including Mischa Maisky, Shlomo Mintz, the Tokyo Quartet, the Vermeer Quartet, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Gewandhaus Orchestra. His recordings have appeared on Philips, Deutsche Grammophon and Chandos, among others. He was the first pianist to record all of Sergei Prokofiev's solo piano music, in nine CDs on Chandos, with sonatas, concertos and shorter pieces. He also made recordings of Scriabin, Shostakovich, Debussy, Stravinsky and Schnittke, and two records of music for prepared piano by John Cage, which BBC Music Magazine named best recording. His recording of piano quintets by Shostakovich and Schnittke with the Vermeer Quartet was nominated for a Grammy.

Influence

Berman is also a juror at competitions in Leeds, Dublin, Shanghai and Tel Aviv and gives masterclasses all over the world. In this way he brought twentieth-century music from the Soviet Union to the West, and trained new pianists.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to one of Prokofiev's piano sonatas in Berman's recording and notice the sharp, rhythmic passages. Hear how he alternates them with calm, songlike sections.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists