Arcadi Volodos

About


Official Site: http://www.volodos.com/



Hailed as "a genius of the piano," Arcadi Volodos has established himself as one of the world's leading pianists, whose performances as recitalist, concerto soloist and recording artist are noted for coupling breathtaking technical mastery with a profound and eloquent musicality. His recordings for Sony Classical, with which he has been an exclusive artist since 1997, have reflected his success on the concert stages of the world. His latest recording - featuring a live performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and a selection of solo works by Rachmaninoff - will be released internationally this fall.

Arcadi Volodos' recent engagements included a performance in Carnegie Hall with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra conducted by James Levine and recitals in Baltimore, San Francisco and Seattle. Recent seasons have included performances with the Munich Philharmonic under the direction of James Levine, the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Seiji Ozawa and the Philharmonia Orchestra led by Yevgeny Svetlanov. In North America, Volodos made his debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin, the Dallas Symphony led by Claus Peter Flor and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson. Volodos also appeared in recital in major music capitals throughout the world, including New York, Berlin, London and Paris. He will return to Carnegie Hall in New York for a recital in January 2004.

In 2001, Volodos made his acclaimed debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Baltimore, Detroit and Oslo Symphony Orchestras, and collaborated with conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta and David Zinman. His debut performance with the Berlin Philharmonic, which took place in 1999 under the direction of James Levine, was recorded live by Sony Classical and nominated for a Grammy in 2001. It includes the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 along with various solo pieces by Rachmaninoff.

During the 1999-2000 season, Arcadi Volodos made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta as well as with the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. He appeared in the "Master Pianists" recital series at the Amsterdam's Concertgebouw and performed recitals in, among other cities, Berlin, Brussels and Barcelona. Volodos toured the United States with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, afterwards embarking on an extensive recital tour, also in the United States. He was awarded the 1999 Gramophone Award, Instrumental Category, and was featured internationally on television in a 45-minute documentary released by ARTE.

As part of the 1998-99 season, Volodos made his now-historic Carnegie Hall recital debut, recorded by Sony Classical and released as Arcadi Volodos - Live at Carnegie Hall. He also appeared at the BBC Proms concerts in London with Yakov Kreizberg, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev, he toured the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy's direction and made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of James Levine. His recital itinerary included performances in London, Amsterdam, Munich, Milan, Madrid and Copenhagen.

In August and September of 1997, Volodos toured Europe with Riccardo Chailly and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, a tour that culminated in a televised performance at the BBC Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall. Following his European appearances, he collaborated with Chailly and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in concerts throughout Canada and the United States. His other engagements included appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Symphony Orchestra. Following his successful American orchestral debut in December 1996 performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto 2 with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Boston and at Carnegie Hall, Volodos made his Tanglewood debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the summer of 1997.

Volodos' first release as an exclusive Sony Classical artist, issued in June 1997, is a compilation of piano transcriptions. The release received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Classic CD's Disc of the Year, the German Record Critics Award, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, and also the highest rating possible from BBC Music Magazine (5) and Repertoire (10).

Volodos' second album, Arcadi Volodos - Live at Carnegie Hall (SK 60893), features excerpts of his Carnegie Hall recital debut, recorded live on October 21, 1998. Since its recent release, this disc has garnered, among other prizes, the German Record Critics Award, the Echo Klassik Preis 1999, the Gramophone Editor's Choice and the Gramophone Award for the Best Instrumentalist of the Year 1999.

Born in St. Petersburg in 1972, Volodos began his musical training studying voice, following the example of his parents, who were singers, and later shifted his emphasis to conducting while a student at the Capilla M. Glinka School and the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Though he had played the piano from the age of eight, he did not devote himself to serious study of the instrument until 1987. His formal piano training took place at the Moscow Conservatory with Galina Egiazarova. Volodos also studied at the Paris Conservatory with Jacques Rouvier. In Madrid, he studied at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia with Dimitri Bashkirov.

Despite the relative brevity of his formal studies, Volodos has been naturally and rapidly propelled into the elite pantheon of the world's most important pianists. Thomas Frost, the producer of many of Horowitz's recordings, and producer of Volodos' recordings for Sony Classical, has said that Volodos "has everything: imagination, color, passion and a phenomenal technique to carry out his ideas." 

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Arcadi Volodos Discography (7titles)

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Rachmaninoff: Solo Piano Works

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Rachmaninoff: Solo Piano Works
11/11/03
SH93067
Super Audio CD Hybrid
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Schubert: Solo Piano Works

Schubert: Solo Piano Works
2/19/02
SS89647
Super Audio CD
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Schubert: Solo Piano Works

Schubert: Solo Piano Works
2/12/02
SK89647
CD Longplay
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Arcadi Volodos - Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in d minor for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 30

Arcadi Volodos - Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in d minor for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 30
10/24/00
SS64384
Super Audio CD
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Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
9/26/00
SK64384
CD Longplay
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Volodos - Live at Carnegie Hall

Volodos - Live at Carnegie Hall
10/5/99
SK60893
CD Longplay
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Piano Transcriptions

Piano Transcriptions
7/1/97
SK62691
CD Longplay
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