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Andrei Gavrilov

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Biography

Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov's mother was a concert pianist and his father was an artist. He started piano lessons with his mother at home before enrolling into Moscow Central Music School in 1961. He went on to study at the Moscow Conservatoire, winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1974 after having only been a student there for one term. He made his professional concert debut at the Salzburg Music Festival in 1974 as a stand-in for Sviatoslav Richter who was unable to perform. He came to the attention of several renowned conductors including Herbert von Karajan, who invited him in 1979 to record Rachmaninov's four piano concertos but Gavrilov was unable to travel as his passport was revoked as a result of speaking out against the Soviet regime. This led to him being placed under house arrest and he was unable to perform for five years. In 1984, Mikhail Gorbachev intervened for Gavrilov and he was issued with papers which permitted him to travel. Exclusively signed to EMI, he made up for lost time with concert appearances in Carnegie Hall in 1985 followed by concerts in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, London, Vienna, Paris, Berlin and Tokyo with major orchestras and conductors including Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink, Simon Rattle and Neville Mariner. His performances were critically acclaimed and he was at the height of his career, making several recordings for EMI including an outstanding rendition of Chopin's etudes. In 1991, he signed for Deutsche Grammophon and made a series of recordings of works by Grieg, Bach, Prokofiev and Schubert. His rendition of Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' recorded in 1992 was critically acclaimed as were his recordings of Bach's 'French Suites' and Grieg's 'Lyric Pieces' (1993). After this, he took a break from recording and performing, suffering with symptoms of anxiety and depression. In 1998 he was included in the 'Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century' series by the Philips label. He returned to the concert hall in 2001 with a concert at the Moscow Conservatoire playing four piano concertos in one evening. He returned to America in 2008 and commenced a world tour the following year. In 2013 he finished work on his autobiography which was published in Russian, German and English and included a new recording of Chopin's 'Nocturnes'. He began a series of concerts where he performed various piano concertos whilst also conducting from the piano, which had been an ambition of his. He began these concerts in Belgrade in 2013, where he performed three concertos in one evening whilst conducting from the piano. He has also performed concerts in this way in America, Romania, Hungary, Italy and South Korea.
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Albums


Top Tracks

  1.   Track
    Popularity
  2.   Piano Concerto no. 1 in B-flat minor, op. 23: II. Andantino semplice
  3.   Piano Concerto no. 1 in B-flat minor, op. 23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito featuring Riccardo Muti
  4.   Three Pieces Op. 45: I. Feuillet d'album featuring Andrei Gavrilov
  5.   Three Pieces Op. 45: II. Poème fantasque featuring Andrei Gavrilov
  6.   Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Flat, Op.10: Allegro brioso featuring London Symphony Orchestra
  7.   Suite No. 1 In A Major Hwv 426: Prélude
  8.   Suite No. 7 In G Minor Hwv 432: Passacaglia (allegro Commodo)
  9.   Suite No. 7 In G Minor Hwv 432: Sarabande (andante Con Moto)
  10.   Suite No. 7 In G Minor Hwv 432: Gigue (vivo)
  11.   Suite No. 6 In F Sharp Minor Hwv 431: Prélude (allegro Moderato)
  12.   Suite No. 6 In F Sharp Minor Hwv 431: Gigue (presto)
  13.   Suite No. 4 In E Minor Hwv 429: Courante (allegretto Tranquillo)
  14.   Suite No. 4 In E Minor Hwv 429: Gigue (vivace)
  15.   Suite No. 4 In E Minor Hwv 429: Allemande (allegro Moderato)
  16.   French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: Gigue by Andrei Gavrilov
  17.   French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: III. Sarabande
  18.   French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816: I. Allemande
  19.   Suite No. 6 in F sharp minor HWV 431 featuring Andrei Gavrilov
  20.   Suite No. 7 In G Minor Hwv 432: Ouverture (adagio - Presto - Adagio)
  21.   Schubert: 4 Impromptus, Op.90, D.899 - No.4 in A flat: Allegretto
  22.   Suite No. 4 in E Minor: I. Fuga by Andrei Gavrilov
  23.   8 Études, Op. 42: No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, Affanato
  24.   Suite No. 4 in E Minor: II. Allemande by Andrei Gavrilov
  25.   Suite No. 4 in E Minor: III. Courante by Andrei Gavrilov
  26. See All Songs

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