ALEXEI VOLODIN
Piano
Born in 1977 in Leningrad, Alexei Volodin entered the prestigious Gnessin Institute in Moscow at the age of ten. At seventeen, he joined the Conservatoire under Eliso Virsaladze, a leading figure of the Russian pianistic tradition. In 2001, he completed his training at the International Piano Academy on Lake Como, before winning two years later the First Prize at the Géza Anda Competition in Zurich – a decisive springboard to the world’s major stages.
His playing never tips into showmanship. The press speaks of a “sorcerer of tone colours”, a virtuosity as brilliant as it is discreet. The NRC Handelsblad describes him as a pianist who makes Rachmaninov resonate with the depth of Orthodox chant. Classical Source puts it simply: “He is a marvellous artist, who peels away layers of meaning and expression in everything he plays.”
His Paris debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in 2005 was immediately followed by three consecutive return invitations. He now performs in the world’s most prestigious venues: Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie de Paris. The leading orchestras seek him out – BBC Symphony, NHK Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Mariinsky under Gergiev, Philharmonia Orchestra – as do the major festivals, from La Roque d’Anthéron to the White Nights of St Petersburg.
A committed chamber musician, he maintains long-standing partnerships with Sol Gabetta, Igor Levit, Claire Huangci, Janine Jansen and Mischa Maisky, and regularly performs in duo with his wife Edith Peña. His repertoire spans from Beethoven to Medtner, Brahms to Prokofiev, with a marked affinity for Scriabin and Rachmaninov. His recordings for Challenge Classics – Chopin, Schumann, Ravel, Scriabin – earned him a Choc de Classica and five stars from Diapason. His recording of Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 4 with the Mariinsky and Gergiev was unanimously acclaimed by the international press.
