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The esteemed Russian pianist, fortepianist and harpsichordist, Alexei Lubimov, was initially instructed at the Moscow Central Music School. He entered the Moscow Conservatory in 1963 and was one of the last students of Heinrich Neuhaus, where he established an early passion for both Baroque music - particularly when performed on traditional instruments - and 20th Century composers.
Alexei Lubimov first attracted notice with his compelling performances of modern scores. In 1968 he performed the Moscow debuts of works by John Cage and Terry Riley, and subsequently championed the works of such masters as Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Charles Ives, Ligeti, as well as many contemporary Russian composers, such as Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, Silvestrov and Arvo Pärt. His interests were extensive, leading him to explore not only contemporary works but also those from the standard repertoire as well as the early music repertoire for fortepiano. In the 1970's, his career was slowed down by the ideological censorship that prevailed in the former Soviet Union. It was during this period that he founded the Moscow Baroque Quartet, where he was able to pioneer harpsichord and fortepiano performances in the USSR. In 1988, he founded the Moscow avant-garde festival “Alternativa.”
During the 1980's when political restrictions were gradually disappearing in Russia, Alexei Lubimov was able to step onto the world stage, giving concerts throughout Europe, America and Japan. He made his North American debut as soloist with Andrew Parrott and his Classical Band in New York in 1991. He has appeared with orchestras such as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (London), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and more. In 1998, he made a European tour with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jukka-Pekka Saraste, where he performed the four piano concertos of Sergei Rachmaninov. Additionally, he has participated in a numerous festivals, among them: Lockenhaus, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Salzburg Festival, Berliner, Festwochen, La Roque d’Anthéron, etc.
Alexei Lubimov has performed with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Neeme Järvi, David Oistrakh, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Marek Janowski, Christopher Hogwood, Sir Roger Norrington, Frans Brüggen, David Robertson, Andrey Boreyko, Iván Fischer, Kent Nagano, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and many others. He is also a champion of chamber music and performs often with famous soloists such as Natalia Gutman, Christian Tetzlaff, and Andreas Staier.
Alexei Lubimov is counted among today’s most outstanding pianists. His wide repertoire, dedication to principles and musical morals make him a most welcome exception on the music scene today. In recent seasons he has played concerts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the RNO Moscow and the Austrian Tonkünstler-Orchester (including two concerts in the great hall of the Musikverein) as well as numerous solo performances. At the Salzburg Festival in 2003 and in Copenhagen, he performed orchestra concerts with Prometeus by Scriabin. In 2004-2005 he performed with orchestras such as the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment (L.v. Beethoven), Münchner Philharmoniker (Silvestrov), SWR Stuttgart (Arvo Pärt), Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin (Arvo Pärt), Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Pärt), Anima Eterna Brugge, and RNO Moscow. In 2005-2006, he returned to America as a special guest at the International Piano Festival in Houston, Texas. This spring, he performed on a tour of the eastern USA with the Camerata Salzburg. In August 2006, he returned to the USA as part of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival.
Alexei Lubimov has recorded on various labels such as Melodiya, Erato, BIS and Sony, which features the complete W.A. Mozart sonatas, Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, L.v. Beethoven, Johannes Brahms as well as music from the 20th Century. He was recently featured on Arvo Pärt’s Lamentate from ECM Records. His upcoming chamber music CD for ECM Records this fall will feature works by Silvestrov, Ustvolskaya and Pärt. |
