Krystian Zimerman (born 5 December 1956) is a Polish concert pianist, conductor and pedagogue who has been described as one of the greatest pianists of his generation. In 1975, he won the IX International Chopin Piano Competition.
Following the success at the Chopin Piano Competition, he began his collaboration with the Berlin Philharmonic and has since performed with leading orchestras around the world as well as many prominent conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle. He is especially known for his performances of compositions by Mozart, Chopin, Brahms and Beethoven. He is also the recipient of many awards and honours including Léonie Sonning Music Prize (1994), Legion of Honour (2005), Order of Polonia Restituta (2013) and Praemium Imperiale (2022).
Biography Zimerman was born in Zabrze, Katowice Voivodeship, Polish People's Republic, and started to play the piano at the age of five encouraged by his father, who was also a pianist. He studied at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice under Andrzej Jasiński. In 1973, he won top prize at the Ludwig van Beethoven International Piano Competition in Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia. His international career was launched when he won the 1975 Warsaw International Chopin Piano Competition. He performed with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1976, conducted by Herbert Blomstedt. Arthur Rubinstein invited him to Paris to work with him, which led to a friendship and mentorship that lasted until Rubinstein's death in 1982. Zimerman debuted in the United States with the New York Philharmonic in 1979. He has toured widely and made a number of recordings. Since 1996, he has taught piano at the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland. In 1999, Zimerman created the Polish Festival OrchestraPolish Festival Orchestra to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin's death.
Zimerman is best known for his interpretations of Romantic music, but has performed a wide variety of classical pieces and is a supporter of contemporary music. Witold Lutosławski wrote his Piano Concerto for Zimerman, who has recorded it twice. Among his best-known recordings are the concerti of Grieg and Schumann with Herbert von Karajan; the Brahms concerti with Leonard Bernstein; the piano concerti of Chopin, one recording conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini and a later one conducted by himself at the keyboard; the Third, Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos of Beethoven under Bernstein (Zimerman himself led the Vienna Philharmonic from the keyboard in Beethoven's First and Second Concertos); the first and second piano concerti of Rachmaninoff; the piano concerti of Liszt with Seiji Ozawa, the piano concerti of Ravel with Pierre Boulez, and solo piano works by Chopin, Liszt (including one of the most virtuosic performances of the famous Piano Sonata in B minor), Debussy and Schubert. In 2006, Zimerman recorded Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle (DG 477 5413; Limited Edition DG 477 6021).
Zimerman has collaborated with conductors and artists such as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, Carlo Maria Giulini, Bernard Haitink, Herbert von Karajan, Kirill Kondrashin, Erich Leinsdorf, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Stanisław Skrowaczewski and Wolfgang Sawallisch.
Criticism of US policy On 26 April 2009, Zimerman vowed to his audience at Los Angeles's Walt Disney Concert Hall that, in protest at America's placement of a missile defense shield in Poland, this would be his final appearance in the United States. He had made a similar comment in 2006, stating he would not return until George W. Bush was out of office. he has not made any further appearances in the United States. In incidents in 2001 and 2006, one of his Steinway pianos was completely destroyed and another one damaged by security staff at New York JFK airport.
Personal life In 1981, Zimerman moved to Röschenz in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland, where he also became a Swiss citizen with Röschenz as his place of origin. According to conflicting sources, he's still living in Röschenz, or in Binningen, also near Basel.Anthony Tommasini (13 April 1997). "Sidestepping The Celebrity Circuit" . The New York Times. He married Maria (née Drygajło), a violinist, with whom he has two children: Klaudia and Ryszard. He divides his time among family, concerts, and performances of chamber music. Zimerman is an editor of the piano music of Władysław Szpilman for Boosey & Hawkes.
Selected awards and honours 1st Prize at the Voivod-wide Prokofiev Competition (1974; Poland) 1st Prize at the IX International Chopin Piano Competition (1975; Poland) Accademia Musicale Chigiana Award (1985; Italy) Léonie Sonning Music Prize (1994; Denmark) Honorary doctor of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice (2005; Poland) National Order of the Legion of Honour (2005; France) Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2010; Poland) Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2013; Poland) Diapason d'Or (2015; France) Honorary doctor of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw (2015; Poland) Praemium Imperiale (2022; Japan) Gramophone Classical Music Award (2023; UK) – Piano Category (Szymanowski Piano Works)
Discography Most of Zimerman's recordings have been released by Deutsche Grammophon, with which he has an exclusive lifelong contract.
Studio albums Date of ReleaseDate of RecordingAlbum DetailsCollaborating ArtistsRecord LabelCatalogue No.1975Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1Jerzy Maksymiuk conductingPolish Radio Symphony OrchestraPolskie Nagrania Muza1977Chopin: Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise & other piano worksDeutsche Grammophon2530 8261978Chopin: 14 WaltzesDeutsche Grammophon2530 9651978January 1978Mozart: Piano Sonatas KV280, 281, 311 & 330Deutsche Grammophon2531 0521979Mozart: Violin Sonatas KV 547, 404 & 481Kaja Danczowska (violin)Wifon1979November 1978Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1Carlo Maria Giulini conductingLos Angeles PhilharmonicDeutsche Grammophon2531 1251980November 1979Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2Carlo Maria Giulini conductingLos Angeles PhilharmonicDeutsche Grammophon2531 1261980June 1979Brahms: Piano Sonatas No. 1 & 2Deutsche Grammophon2531 2521981July 1980Franck: Violin Sonata / Szymanowski: MythesKaja Danczowska (violin)Deutsche Grammophon431 469-21982September 1981Schumann: Piano Concerto Op. 54; Grieg: Piano Concerto Op. 16Berlin Philharmonic (conducted by Herbert von Karajan)Deutsche Grammophon439 015-21983Brahms: Piano Sonata No.3, Scherzo Op. 4, Balladen Op. 10Deutsche Grammophon423 401-21984November 1983Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1Vienna Philharmonic (conducted by Leonard Bernstein)Deutsche Grammophon431 207-21985October 1984Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2Vienna Philharmonic (conducted by Leonard Bernstein)Deutsche Grammophon415 359-21986Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1Kyrill Kondrashin conducting Royal Concertgebouw OrchestraDeutsche Grammophon419 054-21988April 1987Liszt: Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2; Totentanz; Piano Sonata S.178; Nuages gris s.199; La notte S.602; La lugubre gondola S.200 no.2; FunéraillesSeiji Ozawa conducting Boston Symphony OrchestraDeutsche Grammophon423 571-21988July 1987Chopin: 4 Ballades; Barcarolle, Op. 60; Fantasie in FDeutsche Grammophon423 090-21989July 1988Strauss: Violin Sonata Op. 18 / Respighi: Violin SonataKyung-Wha Chung (violin)Deutsche Grammophon457 907-21991February 1990Schubert: Impromptus D.899 & D.935Deutsche Grammophon423 612-21991March 1991Liszt: Sonata in B minor & other piano worksDeutsche Grammophon431 780-21992November 1989 & March 1990Lutosławski: Piano Concerto; Chain 3; NoveletteBBC Symphony Orchestra(conducted by Witold Lutosławski)Deutsche Grammophon431 664-21992September 1989Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 & 4Leonard Bernstein conducting Vienna PhilharmonicDeutsche Grammophon429 749-21992September 1989Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"Leonard Bernstein conducting Vienna PhilharmonicDeutsche Grammophon429 748-21992December 1991Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 & 2Himself conducting Vienna PhilharmonicDeutsche Grammophon437 545-21994August 1991Debussy: PreludesDeutsche Grammophon435 773-21998November 1994 (Tracks 1–11)July 1996 (Track 12)Ravel: Piano Concerto; Valses nobles et sentimentales; Concerto for the Left Hand in D majorThe Cleveland Orchestra (Tracks 1–11) London Symphony Orchestra (Track 12) (conducted by Pierre Boulez)Deutsche Grammophon449 213-21999August 1999Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2Himself conducting Polish Festival OrchestraDeutsche Grammophon459 684-22003December 1997 (No.1)December 2000 (No.2)Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Boston Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Seiji Ozawa)Deutsche Grammophon459 643-22005November 2001Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 1Chicago Symphony Orchestra(conducted by Pierre Boulez)Deutsche Grammophon477 53302006September 2003Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1Berliner Philharmonic(conducted by Sir Simon Rattle)Deutsche Grammophon477 54132011February 2009Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No. 2; Quintets Nos. 1 & 2Kaja Danczowska (violin)Agata Szymczewska (violin)Ryszard Groblewski (viola) Rafal Kwiatkowski (cello)Deutsche Grammophon477 83512015February 2013Lutoslawski: Piano Concerto (1987–88), Symphony No. 2 (1965 -67)Berliner Philharmonic(conducted by Sir Simon Rattle)Deutsche Grammophon479 45182017September 2016Schubert: Piano Sonatas D.959 & D.960Deutsche Grammophon479 75882018June 2018Bernstein: Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety"Berliner Philharmonic(conducted by Sir Simon Rattle)Deutsche Grammophon483 55392021July 2021Beethoven: Complete Piano ConcertosLondon Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Sir Simon Rattle)Deutsche Grammophon483 99712022September 2022Szymanowski: Piano WorksDeutsche Grammophon486 30072025Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 3Maria Nowak (violin)Katarzyna Budnik (viola)Yuya Okamoto (cello)Deutsche Grammophon486 4650
Live albums Date of issueDate of recordingCover artAlbum detailsCollaborating artistsRecord labelCatalogue no.1977Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 "Pathétique"Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No.3, Op.28Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No.2Polskie Nagrania Muza1986Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 (recorded in 1979)Kyrill Kondrashin conducting Royal Concertgebouw OrchestraDeutsche Grammophon2021Beethoven complete Piano ConcertosLondon Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon RattleDeutsche Grammophon
Video releases Date of issueDate of filmingVideo detailsCollaborating artistsRecord labelCatalogue no.1984Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1Leonard Bernstein conducting Vienna PhilharmonicDeutsche Grammophon1985Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2Leonard Bernstein conducting Vienna PhilharmonicDeutsche Grammophon1995Chopin: 4 Ballades; Fantasie; Barcarolle; Scherzo No. 2 / Schubert: 4 Impromptus Op. 90Deutsche Grammophon
References
External links
Krystian Zimerman discography