Irina Alexandrovna Lankova (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Ирина Александровна Ланькова; born 11 September 1977) is a Russian-born Belgian

concert pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz, blues, and popular music, including rock and roll. Most pianists can, to ...

Early life and education

Irina Lankova is a graduate with highest honors from

Gnessin State Musical College The Gnessin State College of Music () and Gnessin Russian Academy of Music () comprise a music school in Moscow.Moisenko, Rena. (1949) ''Realist Music: 25 Soviet Composers,'' London: Meridian Book, Ltd. History Originally known as the Gnessi ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and from The

Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (, ) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Providing performing music and drama courses, the institution became renowned par ...

. She studied with several great pianists from the Russian School, including Evgeny Moguilevsky (a pupil of Heinrich Neuhaus), Irina Temchenko, and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Career

Irina Lankova has performed on prestigious stages all over the world such as

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in New York,

Wigmore Hall The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good building acoustics, acoustics. It specialis ...

in London, Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,

Salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for t ...

in Paris, Flagey in Brussels, Cidades das Artes in Rio and many others. She has been invited to play in many international festivals: Piano Folies Touquet, L'Esprit du piano, Académie d'Eté de Nice, Sagra Musicale Umbria, Schiermonnikoog Kamermuziekefestival, Festival de Wallonie, Brussels Summer Festival, Fortissimo d'Orleans, Berlin Summer Festival, etc. Her performances are critically acclaimed for her expressive and poetic interpretations, colorful palette, and rich tone. International critics describe Irina Lankova as a pianist with "genuinely poetic touch" and "infinite palette of colours". After her successful Wigmore Hall debut in 2008, Irina Lankova was invited to join the worldwide piano elite "Steinway Artists". Her signature way of presenting her recitals with short introductions attracts a wide audience. "Along with her deep and emotional interpretations, she gives short introductions to the music... and creates something less conventional where everyone feels welcomed", International Piano Magazine. Her albums dedicated to

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin, scientific transliteration: ''Aleksandr Nikolaevič Skrjabin''; also transliterated variously as Skriabin, Skryabin, and (in French) Scriabine. The composer himselused the French spelling "Scriabine" which was a ...

, Chopin and

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

are highly acclaimed by critics for their "great sensitivity" (Pianiste), "very personal narrative" (La Libre Belgique) and "compelling authority" (The Independent). In March 2021, she released her latest album "Elégie" featuring her favorite pieces by Rachmaninov, Schubert, and Bach. In 2020, After many years of working on Bach's ''

Goldberg Variations The ''Goldberg Variations'' (), BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of thirty variations. First published in 1741, it is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may ...

,'' she created a multimedia project entitled "Goldberg Visions," together with French visual artist Isabelle Françaix, which combines music and video. The artist's YouTube channel counts several million views and includes many videos from concerts, home recordings, and her 'Piano Unveiled' series. Since 2015, she has served as the artistic director of the International Max Festival in Belgium.

Personal life

Lankova is married to a Belgian architect and has two children; she lives in

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant ( ; ; ) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut. Walloon Br ...

, Belgium.

Discography

Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

(2004, CD): '' Rachmaninov Preludes Op. 23, Liszt Rapsodie No. 2 with

cadence In Classical music, Western musical theory, a cadence () is the end of a Phrase (music), phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution (music), resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don ...

by Rachmaninov'' *

Alexander Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin, scientific transliteration: ''Aleksandr Nikolaevič Skrjabin''; also transliterated variously as Skriabin, Skryabin, and (in French) Scriabine. The composer himselused the French spelling "Scriabine" which was a ...

(2006, CD): ''Sonates No. 2 & No. 9, Pieces Op. 32, Op. 57'' *

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

(2008, CD): '' Sonata No. 3, Ballade No. 1, Scherzo No. 2,

Nocturnes A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

'' *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

(2013, CD Indésens): '' Drei Klavierstücke D. 946, Piano Sonata D. 959, Impromptu D. 899 No. 3'' * "Caprice" (2015, CD Indésens): with violinist Tatiana Samouil * "Goldberg Visions" (2020, CD):

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

'' * "Elégie" (2021, CD): Rachmaninov, Schubert and Bach * "A Moment Illuminating Eternity" (2023, CD) : Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Chopin

References

External links

*
Irina Lankova
on

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Irina Lankova
on

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Irina Lankova
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lankova, Irina Aleksandrovna 1977 births Belgian women classical pianists Russian women classical pianists Living people Musicians from Moscow 21st-century Belgian pianists 21st-century Russian pianists Russian classical pianists Belgian classical pianists 21st-century women pianists