School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Krystian Zimerman

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

Krystian Zimerman is a Polish pianist, conductor and teacher, born in Zabrze in 1956. He began playing the piano at the age of five, encouraged by his father, who was also a pianist. He studied in Katowice with Andrzej Jasiński and in 1975 won the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. That was the beginning of his international career. In 1976 he played with the Berlin Philharmonic, and in 1979 he made his United States debut with the New York Philharmonic. Arthur Rubinstein invited him to Paris, and their friendship lasted until Rubinstein's death in 1982.

Music and breakthrough

Zimerman worked with conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Pierre Boulez, Carlo Maria Giulini and Simon Rattle. His well-known recordings include the piano concertos by Grieg and Schumann with Karajan, the Brahms concertos with Bernstein, the Chopin concertos and solo works by Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and Schubert. Witold Lutosławski wrote his Piano Concerto for him. He is best known for his interpretations of Romantic music, but he also plays other repertoire and supports contemporary music.

Influence

Since 1996 he has taught at the music academy in Basel, and in 1999 he founded the Polish Festival Orchestra, to mark the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death. Zimerman is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his generation. His Chopin playing was and is seen as a point of reference: precise, clear and never merely beautiful for its own sake.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to one of Chopin's Ballades in his recording and notice how he almost whispers the soft passages while keeping the loud sections clear.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists