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The German pianist, Markus Groh, was a student of Professor Konrad Richter in Stuttgart and Professor Hans Leygraf in Berlin and Salzburg. He gained immediate world attention after winning the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Brussels in 1995, the first German to do so. Other awards include First Prize at the 1990 Artur Schnabel Competition in Berlin.
Consistently cited for his “sound imagination” and astonishing power, Markus Groh has confirmed his place among the finest pianists in the world today. Sharing the same birthday with Alfred Brendel, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Maurizio Pollini, he has proven himself worthy of their company. Most recently, Groh has made stunning debuts with both the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. (Johannes Brahms Concerto No. 1 in D Minor) and the Cleveland Orchestra (J. Brahms Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat). In the words of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Groh proved exceptionally well-suited to the giant task of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2…Not for a second did Groh lose his cool. Instead, he devoured the piece with sparing gestures and the apparent ease of a complete virtuoso.“
Markus Grhas also appeared with the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Colorado, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Florida, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Louisville, Milwaukee, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Seattle Symphony Orchestra, among others. Outside the USA, engagements include the Auckland Philharmonia, Bamberger Symphoniker, Beijing Symphony, Berliner Symphoniker, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Residentie Orkest Den Haag, Helsinki Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Mälmo Symphony, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, New Japan Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Osaka Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, and Warsaw Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.
Upcoming concerts include debuts with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and a collaboration with the Tokyo String Quartet at the 92nd Street Y in New York. Among the conductors with whom Groh has collaborated are Jesús López-Cobos, Andreas Delfs, Iván Fischer, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Marek Janowski, Neeme Järvi, Fabio Luisi, Ludwig Morlot, Kent Nagano, Jonathan Nott, David Robertson, Kwamé Ryan, and Stefan Sanderling.
A spellbinding recitalist, Markus Groh reveals shapes, textures and colors that one seldom hears in live performance. Critics agree: “Groh is a great pianist.” [Toronto Star]; “…a superb recital…” [New York Times]; “A new star in the pianistic firmament…” [Neue Zürcher Zeitung]. Recently, Groh has appeared in recital at the Friends of Chamber Music Denver, Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, Vancouver Recital Society, and at The Frick Collection in New York. Chamber music activities include tours with both Claudio Bohórquez and the Tokyo String Quartet.
Widely acclaimed for his interpretations of Franz Liszt, an all-Liszt CD (including the Totentanz and B Minor Sonata) was released by Avie in 2006. Showered with rave reviews, it was also named “Editor’s Choice” in Gramophone Magazine. An all-Brahms CD was released by Avie in June of 2008. Other recordings include a CD of Debussy, Prokofiev, and Benjamin Britten’s cello sonatas with Claudio Bohórquez on Berlin Classics and a CD of F. Liszt’s Totentanz with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Fabio Luisi on Cascavelle.
A frequent guest at international festivals such as Grant Park, Festival Cultural de Mayo (Mexico), La Folle Journée, Ruhr, Ludwigsburg, Bad Kissingen, and Schubertiade (Austria), Markus Groh is the founder and artistic director of the Bebersee Festival near Berlin. He has appeared frequently on radio and television in Germany, Spain, Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Japan (NHK), Mexico and the USA (NPR).
Markus Groh divides his time between Berlin and New York. |
