Tour Dates: 4 May - 13 May, 2012

With the recent release of the complete concerto works by Tchaikovsky, Konstantin Scherbakov's endless repertoire accomplishments continue to amaze.

Conceert Information:

5 May,  Central Conservatory of Music
8 May,  Shanghai Oriental Art Center
10 March,  Xinghai Concert Hall

Credit Suisse Chamber Music Circle 2012
Konstantin Scherbakov China Tour

Biography

With the recent release of the complete concerto works by Tchaikovsky, Konstantin Scherbakov's endless repertoire accomplishments continue to amaze. A very special repertoire choice has formed the artist's profile with the accent on rarely performed and highly demanding virtuoso programs, often comprising of works that were considered unplayable before. In co-operation with the labels "Naxos" and "Marco Polo" Scherbakov has realized some of today's most unique and significant recording projects. Among them – complete piano works by Leopold Godowsky, Respighi and Shostakovich, and complete piano concertos by Tchaikovsky, Respighi, Medtner and Scriabin. The most recent and highly acclaimed recording project was The Complete Beethoven Symphonies in piano arrangement by F. Liszt.

Many of these projects have found their way onto the concert stage. For his cycle of the Complete Rachmaninoff's works Scherbakov gained recognition as "Rachmaninoff of Today" (Lucerne Music Festival). The two-evening performance of the complete Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich at different venues, notably at the Salzburg Festival was enthusiastically met by both public and press ("One cannot play Shostakovich any better!" Die Presse, Vienna). Lately, Scherbakov has received international acclaim for his performances of Liszt's transcriptions of the Beethoven Symphonies.

Konstantin Scherbakov has given solo performances in 35 countries in Europe, Asia and Middle East, in the USA, New Zealand, South Africa and South America. He has played in some of the prestigious concert halls such as Philharmonic of Cologne, Wigmore Hall London, Herkulessaal, Philharmonic and Prinzregententheater Munich, Tonhalle Zurich, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, Beethovenhalle Bonn, new Congress-Hall Luzern, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikhalle Hamburg, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Konzerthaus Berlin, Rudolfinum Prague, Atheneum Bucharest, Casal Hall Tokyo, Victoria Hall Singapore, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Konzerthaus Vienna and Warsaw Philharmonic Hall among others.

Konstantin Scherbakov has been guest to important international music festivals such as Salzburg, Frankfurt, Bregenz, Bodensee, Lucerne, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Bad Kissingen, Schubertiade Feldkirch and Schwarzenberg, Singapore Piano Festival, Piano Rarities Husum, Beethoven Festival Krakau and Warsaw, Lebanon Music Festival, "Primavera concertistica" Lugano, Evian, Colmar, Liszt Festivals in Raiding and Weimar, Piano Festival Lucerne, and among others - numerous festivals in Italy, France, New Zealand, USA, Russia, and Switzerland.

Boasting a phenomenal concerto repertoire of over 50 concertos, Konstantin Scherbakov performed as soloist with more than 60 orchestras, among others with the Russian State Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Symphony, Stuttgart and Duisburg Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra, Philharmonics of the Nations, Munich Symphony, George Enescu Philharmonic Bucharest, Weimarer Staatskapelle, Sofia Philharmonic, Bach Collegium Munich, Montreal Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Ukrainian and Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestras, Ulster Orchestra, Wiener Kammerorchester etc. In 2002, he started his collaboration with the Milan orchestra "I Pomeriggi Musicali" and Orchestra da Camera di Padova performing as a soloist and conductor.

Konstantin Scherbakov's constantly growing discography comprises 34 CDs featuring around 300 titles. Many recordings received prizes and awards such as Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Cannes Classical Award. The pianist was one of the first artists signed by EMI Classics for their Debut-Series. In 1995 he became a "BBC International Artist".

During the 2010-2011 season Konstantin Scherbakov gave his debut on the South American continent playing with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and a recital in Buenos Aires, his schedule including also a concerto appearance in Sao Paulo with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, he will return to Korea with the Prague Radio-Symphony Orchestra following his highly successful debut concerto tour of the country with the Moscow Philharmonics in 2010. One of the highlights of the next season is a concert with the Weimarer Staatskapelle under Christian Thielemann in Weimar - a live broadcast performance of Liszt's works dedicated to the European Liszt 200-Anniversary Day. In his agenda there are also solo performances in Zurich, New York, in Germany and South Africa, a recital tour of Korea, Japan and China and festivals appearances in Switzerland, France, Taiwan, Japan and Italy.

Born in Barnaul, Russia Konstantin Scherbakov made his debut with the philharmonic orchestra of his native town at the age of 11, performing Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1. Soon after, he moved to Moscow to continue his musical education at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire with the legendary professor Lev Naumov. The triumphant winner of the Rachmaninoff Competition in 1983, Konstantin Scherbakov performed with all the leading orchestras of the former Soviet Union, and played recitals in more than 100 cities in all republics of his native country. After winning an array of prizes at prestigious international competitions (Montreal, Bolzano, Rome, Zurich), Scherbakov launched his international career in 1990 at the XXth Chamber Music Festival of Asolo, where he performed the complete Rachmaninoff's works for piano solo in four recitals, to the manifest approval of Sviatoslav Richter.

Since 1992 Konstantin Scherbakov has lived with his family in Switzerland. Much of his time he spends in Spain and in Russia.

Since 1998 the pianist has been professor at the Zurich University of the Arts. He is a jury member in major international competitions (such as ARD Munich, Busoni in Bolzano, Liszt in Weimar, and among others Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, Havana etc.) and he regularly holds master classes all over the world (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand, Singapore, Cuba, Russia, South Africa, Japan). Many of his students won prizes and awards at international competitions, most recently Yulianna Avdeeva, the winner of the last International Chopin Competition in Warsaw.

Reviews

"...Scherbakov is a poised and dignified performer... Dazzling range of colour and technical finesse"

-- The Independent

"Scherbakov's keyboard facility, his pinpoint articulation, his unerring sense of rhythmic drive and security, his weaving together of the many layers and voices and his sense of colour and phrasing are all a joy to listen to..."

-- Grammophone

"Alpine level of pianism"

-- American Record Guide

"...His playing is colored imaginatively, with a wide dynamic range, and his mastery of the most difficult passages is formidable."

-- Fanfare

Special thanks to: