Grigory Sokolov

Unique music made in the present moment is all that matters to Grigory Sokolov. With little interest in making studio recordings or playing with orchestras or in chamber music, he spends months immersed in the recital programme he performs over the course of long tours all over Europe. The Russian pianist’s poetic interpretations, which come to life with mystical intensity and captivating honesty, arise from his profound insight into a vast repertoire. He is widely recognised among pianophiles as today’s greatest pianist, an artist universally admired for his visionary creativity, spellbinding spontaneity, and uncompromising devotion to music. Sokolov was born in Leningrad (now St Petersburg) in 1950. He began playing the piano at the age of five and gave his debut recital in 1962. His formidable talent was recognised when he won the Russian National Competition, but he made headline news beyond the Soviet Union’s borders the following year when, at 16, he became the youngest musician ever to receive the coveted Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Emil Gilels, chairman of the Tchaikovsky Competition jury, subsequently championed Sokolov’s work. While he undertook major concert tours to the United States and Japan in the 1970s, his artistry evolved and matured away from the international spotlight. His live recordings from Soviet times acquired near-mythical status in the West, evidence of an artist at once entirely individual, yet nourished by the Russian tradition of piano playing. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sokolov began to appear at the world’s leading concert halls and festivals, performing extensively as a concerto soloist with orchestras of the highest calibre, before deciding to focus exclusively on giving solo recitals. Sokolov performs around 70 concerts each season, immersing himself fully in a single programme and touring extensively throughout continental Europe. It wasn’t until 2014 that Sokolov signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, which has reinforced the pianist’s place among the truly great musicians of modern times. Sparing in his use of the sustaining pedal, he conjures everything from the subtlest tonal and textural gradations to the boldest contrasts of sound through the sheer brilliance of his finger-work. Critics regularly draw attention to his uncanny ability to articulate individual voices within a complex polyphonic texture and project seamless melodic lines. Sokolov’s charismatic artistry holds the power to captivate audiences and experience even the most familiar compositions from fresh perspectives. His art rests on the rock-solid foundations of his singular personality and individual vision.