- Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (Russian: Владимир Давидович Ашкенази, "Vladimir Davidovič Aškenazi") (b. July 6, 1937) is a conductor and
virtuoso pianist . He has been a citizen ofIceland , the home of his wife Þórunn, since 1972 and currently lives with his family in Switzerland.Early life
Ashkenazy was born in Gorky, USSR to an
Ashkenazi Jewish father and an ethnicRussia n mother. [http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ashkenazy--still-russian-to-the-core-949517.html] He began playing piano at the age of six and, showing prodigious talent, was accepted at the Central Music School at age eight. A graduate of theMoscow Conservatory , he won second prize in theInternational Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1955 and the first prize in theQueen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels in 1956. He shared the first prize in the 1962International Tchaikovsky Competition with British pianistJohn Ogdon .Career
Vladimir Ashkenazy is renowned for his performances of Romantic and Russian composers. He has recorded the complete 24 Preludes and Fugues of
Dmitri Shostakovich ,Alexander Scriabin 's piano sonatas, Rachmaninoff's,Frédéric Chopin 's andRobert Schumann 's entire works for piano, Beethoven's piano sonatas, as well as the piano concertos of Mozart (conducting from the keyboard with thePhilharmonia Orchestra ),Beethoven (with theChicago Symphony Orchestra underSir Georg Solti ; withZubin Mehta and theVienna Philharmonic ; and conducting from the piano with theCleveland Orchestra ),Béla Bartók (with Solti and theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra ),Sergei Prokofiev (withAndré Previn and theLondon Symphony Orchestra ) and Sergei Rachmaninoff (with André Previn & London Symphony Orchestra and withBernard Haitink and theConcertgebouw Orchestra ). He has also recorded Bach'sWell-Tempered Clavier , which was well received by critics, and has performed and recorded chamber music. He continues to record and perform internationally.Midway through his pianistic career, Ashkenazy branched into conducting. He has particularly been praised for his recordings of orchestral works by Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Scriabin,
Richard Strauss and Stravinsky.He was the principal conductor of the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1987 to 1994, and was principal conductor of theCzech Philharmonic from 1998 to 2003. He became musical director of theNHK Symphony Orchestra in 2004. Besides these positions, Ashkenazy is conductor laureate of thePhilharmonia , conductor laureate of theIcelandic Symphony Orchestra , and music director of theEuropean Union Youth Orchestra , with which he performs regularly.Ashkenazy has also appeared in several
Christopher Nupen music films, conducting extracts from the composer profiled, includingOttorino Respighi andTchaikovsky and performing at the piano.On April 11, 2007, his appointment as the next chief conductor and artistic director of the
Sydney Symphony was announced. [cite news | author=Joyce Morgan; Paul Bibby | title=Maestro's star power a masterstroke for orchestra | date=2007-04-12 | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/maestros-star-power-a-masterstroke-for-orchestra/2007/04/11/1175971183173.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 | publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald | pages=13| accessdate=2007-04-12] He will succeedGianluigi Gelmetti in January 2009.He has also made his own orchestration of
Modest Mussorgsky 's piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition " (1982).Vladimir Ashkenazy is also the music director of
European Union Youth Orchestra .Awards and recognitions
*1955
International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition , Warsaw (Second prize) [cite web |url=http://www.konkurs.chopin.pl/redirect.php?DOC=d_ifoo99 |title=Competition V |accessdate=2007-05-04 |author=Grudziński, Albert |year=1955 |publisher=IFCPC Official Site ]
*1956Queen Elisabeth Music Competition for piano, Brussels
*1962International Tchaikovsky Competition , Moscow
*2000Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award , with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducting corps
*Current president of theRachmaninoff Society .;
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) :
*1974 "Beethoven: The Piano Concertos (Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Georg Solti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)";
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance :
*1979 "Beethoven: Sonatas for Violin and Piano (Itzhak Perlman & Vladimir Ashkenazy)"
*1982 "Tchaikovsky:Piano Trio in A Minor (Vladimir Ashkenazy, Itzhak Perlman,Lynn Harrell )"
*1988 "Beethoven: The Complete Piano Trios (Vladimir Ashkenazy, Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell)";Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance:
*1986 "Ravel:Gaspard de la Nuit ;Pavane pour une infante défunte ;Valses Nobles et Sentimentales "
*2000 "Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87"References
*cite book | last=Ashkenazy | first=Vladimir | coauthors=Parrott, Jasper | title=Beyond Frontiers | location=New York | publisher=Atheneum | year=1985 | isbn=0689115059
External links
* [http://www.philharmonia.spb.ru/persa/ashkenazi.html Vladimir Ashkenazy] at the
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
* [http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/thephilharmoniaorchestra/vladimirashkenazy/ Vladimir Ashkenazy] at thePhilharmonia Orchestra ,London
* [http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/ash/ash.html An interview with Ashkenazy on Shostakovich]
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