Konstantin Yakovlevich Lifschitz (; born 10 December 1976 in

Kharkov Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

) is a Russian pianist of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

descent.

Career

At the age of five Lifschitz came to the Gnessin Specialized Music School in

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 ...

. was his most important teacher. When he was 13 he gave his first recital at the

House of the Unions The House of the Unions (, also called ''Palace of the Unions'') is a historic building in the Tverskoy District in central Moscow, Russia. It is situated on the corner of Bolshaya Dmitrovka and Okhotny Ryad streets. History The first building ...

(Moscow) that was greeted with enthusiasm. At the final exam (1994) he played the Goldberg Variations,

Gaspard de la nuit ''Gaspard de la nuit'' (subtitled ''Trois poèmes pour piano d'après Aloysius Bertrand''), M. 55 is a suite of piano pieces by Maurice Ravel, written in 1908. It has three movements, each based on a poem or ''fantaisie'' from the collection '' ...

and works by

Alexander Nikolayevich 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 ...

. His other teachers were Teodor Gutman, Vladimir Tropp,

Karl Ulrich Schnabel Karl Ulrich Schnabel (August 6, 1909 – August 27, 2001) was an Austrian pianist. Schnabel was the son of pianist Artur Schnabel and operatic contralto and lieder singer Therese Behr and elder brother of the American actor Stefan Schnabel. An i ...

Fou Ts'ong Fou Ts'ong (; 10 March 1934 – 28 December 2020) was a Chinese and British pianist who was the first pianist of his national origin to achieve international recognition. He came to prominence after winning third prize and the Polish Radio Prize ...

Alfred Brendel Alfred Brendel (born 5 January 1931) is a Czech-born Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer, and lecturer who is noted for his performances of Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. Biography Brendel was born in Wizemberk, Czechoslovakia ...

, Leon Fleischer,

Rosalyn Tureck Rosalyn Tureck (December 14, 1913 – July 17, 2003) was an American pianist and harpsichordist who was particularly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. However, she had a wide-ranging repertoire that included works by composers ...

Hamish Milne Hamish Milne (27 April 1939 – 12 February 2020) was an English pianist known for his advocacy of Nikolai Medtner. Milne studied at Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury and then with Harold Craxton at the Royal Academy of Music in London, ...

and

Charles Rosen Charles Welles Rosen (May 5, 1927December 9, 2012) was an American pianist and writer on music. He is remembered for his career as a concert pianist, for his recordings, and for his many writings, notable among them the book '' The Classical St ...

. Lifschitz did not participate in any piano contests. After the

Perestroika ''Perestroika'' ( ; rus, перестройка, r=perestrojka, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg, links=no) was a political reform movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s, widely associ ...

he started to give concerts in major European cities. Among the orchestras he played with are

I Solisti Veneti I Solisti Veneti is an Italian chamber orchestra founded in Padua in 1959 by Claudio Scimone. Since 2019, the Musical Director has been Giuliano Carella, and since 2020 he has also been Artistic Director. Background The ensemble was directe ...

MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra The MDR-Sinfonieorchester (MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra) is a German radio orchestra based in Leipzig. It is the radio orchestra of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for the German states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony ...

Academy of St Martin in the Fields The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English orchestra, based in London. John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as "The Academy of St. M ...

Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz The Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz (German State Philharmonic of Rhineland-Palatinate) is a German orchestra based in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. The orchestra performs concerts principally a ...

Konzerthausorchester Berlin The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is a German Orchestra, symphony orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra is resident at the Konzerthaus Berlin, designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The building was destroyed during World War II, and ...

Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg The Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg is an Austrian orchestra, based in the town and state of Salzburg. The orchestra gives concerts in several Salzburg venues, including the '' Großes Festspielhaus'' and the Great Hall of the Stiftung Mozarteum ...

Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Th ...

, Bern Symphony Orchestra,

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Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

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. Conductors were

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. Konstantin Lifschitz is giving masterclasses all around the world. Since 2008 he has an own class at the

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts () (HSLU) is one of seven regional, public-funded public university, universities of applied sciences founded in 1997 in its current form. The University was called University of Applied Sciences of ...

. In Switzerland he became a Swiss citizen. He lives near

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. He performs or performed chamber music with string quartets and soloists as

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, Leila Josefowicz,

Mischa Maisky Mischa Maisky (, , ; born 10 January 1948) is a Soviet-born Israeli cellist. Biography Mischa Maisky was born in 1948 in Riga and is the younger brother of organist, harpsichordist and musicologist Valery Maisky (1942–1981). He was taught by ...

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Bella Davidovich Bella Mikhaylovna Davidovich (Бэлла Миха́йловна Давидо́вич; born July 16, 1928) is a Soviet and American pianist. Biography Davidovich was born in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, into a Jewish family of musicians and began study ...

Valery Afanassiev Valery Pavlovich Afanassiev (; born 8 September 1947) is a Russian pianist, writer and conductor. Life Valery Afanassiev was born in Moscow. He studied piano at the Academic Music College and Moscow Conservatory with Emil Gilels and Yakov Zak ...

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Alexei Volodin Alexei Volodin (; born 1977) is a Russian pianist. Volodin began taking piano lessons in St. Petersburg at the age of nine. A year later he moved to Moscow, where he studied first with Irina Chaklina and later with at the Gnessin Music School ...

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(died 2007) and Eugene Ugorski (born 1989). Lifschitz conducts orchestras and the Gabrieli Choir. Orchestra * St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra Vilnius * Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Wernigerode * Chamber Orchestra Arpeggione Hohenems * Dalarna Sinfonietta Falun * Lux Aeterna Budapest * I Solisti di Napoli * Neujahrskonzert Langnau in Emmental * Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra * Copenhagen Philharmonic *

Moscow Virtuosi The Moscow Virtuosi is a chamber orchestra Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large ...

* Century Orchestra Osaka

Selected Reviews

* Konstantin Lifschitz – review, The Guardian, 2011 * Konstantin Lifschitz – review, The Independent, 2007 * Bach’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, All in a Day, NY Times, 2007 * Schubert Piano works/Lifschitz/Palexa C

Festivals

Rheingau Musik Festival The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...

* Miami International Piano Festival *

Lucerne Festival Lucerne Festival is one of the leading international festivals in the world of classical music and presents a series of classical music festivals based in Lucerne, Switzerland. Founded in 1938 by Ernest Ansermet and Walter Schulthess, it curr ...

Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (SHMF) is a classical music festival held each summer throughout the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. History The festival was founded in 1986 by German concert pianist and conductor Justus Fr ...

* Bodenseefestival *

White Nights Festival The White Nights Festival is an annual summer festival in St. Petersburg dedicated to the phenomenon of midnight twilight due to its location near the Arctic Circle: Every year, from about April 22 to August 21, the night sky only reaches twili ...

, St. Petersburg *

George Enescu Festival The George Enescu Festival (also known as George Enescu International Festival and Competition), held in honor of the celebrated Romanian composer George Enescu, is the biggest classical music festival and classical international competition hel ...

, Bucharest *

Newport Music Festival Newport Classical, previously known as Newport Music Festival, is an annual chamber music-oriented music festival and year-round classical music arts organization in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in July 1969. The festival consists of dozen ...

* Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker * Tivoli Festival Copenhagen * Les Nuits Pianistiques Festival, Aix-en-Provence * SoNoRo International Chamber Music Festival, Bukarest

Recordings

The pianist has released 39 recordings to date. A full list can be found on his website *

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 ...

and

Peter Seabourne Peter Seabourne (born 1960) is an English contemporary classical composer based in Lincolnshire, England. Biography Seabourne studied at Clare College, Cambridge with Robin Holloway, and University of York with David Blake (composer), David Blak ...

: Toccatas and Fantasies .

Toccatas BWV 910-916 and

Steps Volume 6: Toccatas and Fantasias (Willowhayne Records, 2022) *

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

: 32 Sonatas (Alpha Classics - ALPHA584, 2020) *

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

, Jakov Jakoulov: Daphnis et Chloé ( Orfeo – C905162A, 2016) *

: Goldberg Variationen BWV 988 ( Orfeo – C864141A, 2015) *

Gottfried von Einem Gottfried von Einem (24 January 1918 – 12 July 1996) was an Austrian composer. He is known chiefly for his operas influenced by the music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev, as well as by jazz. He also composed pieces for piano, violin and organ. Bio ...

: Concerto op. 20 with Rundfunk-Symphonieorchester Wien, conductor

Cornelius Meister Cornelius Meister (born 23 February 1980 in Hannover, is a German conductor and pianist. Biography Meister's father, Konrad Meister, was a pianist and professor of piano at the Musikhochschule Hannover. His mother is also a piano teacher. His ...

( Orfeo - C8828112A, 2008)

Dedications

, Steps Volume 6: Toccatas and Fantasias * James Bolle, Piano Concert * Vladimir Ryabov, 4 Chromatic Studies * Jakov Jacoulov, Carrousel * Boris Yoffe, Humble Muse * Rahel Senn, Song of a Magnolia * Denis Burstein, Variations * Inna Zhvanetskaya, Dance-Suite (Partita) *

Nimrod Borenstein Nimrod Borenstein (; born 1969) is a British-French-Israeli composer and conductor whose music is widely performed throughout Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan. His works are becoming part of the repertoire of many ensembles and orche ...

, Melancholic Mobile (No. 3 from Reminiscences of Childhood) *

Colette Mourey Colette Mourey (born 1954) is a French classical guitarist, music educator, musicology, musicologist and composer. Biography Born in Kenitra (Morocco), Mourey studied musicology at the Sorbonne under Edith Weber and passed the agrégation. Fir ...

, Eaux-Fortes, No. 6: Une promenade (spirituelle) à Rome

Prizes

Echo (music award) Echo Music Prize (stylised as ECHO, ) was an accolade by the , an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The first ECHO Awards ceremony was held in 1992, and was set up to honor ...

Best International Newcomer (1995) for the Debut Recording *

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

Nomination (1996) For the Goldberg Variations Recording * Associate, later Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (2003) * Rowenna Prize of the Reed Kostellow Fund (New York) (2006) * Holy Sergius of Radonezh Order (Moskau) (2007)

References

External links

Website Konstantin Lifschitz

Biography at Musical America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lifschitz, Konstantin Russian pianists Swiss pianists Living people 1976 births Musicians from Kharkiv 21st-century pianists