BIOGRAPHY
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CHRISTIAN ZACHARIAS
conductor/ pianist
1. Biography
2. Critical Acclaim
3. Selcted Programs
4. Discography
Season 2006-2007
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3/2007
CHRISTIAN ZACHARIAS
Conductor/ pianist
Christian Zacharias is considered to be one of the great German pianists of today and one of the most
remarkable musical explorers of our time. Known for his consistent and uncompromising individuality,
Christian Zacharias achieved international attention as prizewinner in the Geneva Competition in 1969 and
the Van Cliburn Competition in 1973. In 1975, he won the First Prize in the Ravel Competition in Paris and
began an international career encompassing recitals in all the major international venues, award-winning
recordings and concerts with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. Christian Zacharias also
appears in chamber music recitals with partners such as the Alban Berg Quartet, the Guarneri Quartet, the
Leipziger String Quartet, Heinrich Schiff and Frank Peter Zimmermann.
In 1992, Christian Zacharias launched his conducting career, making his debut conducting the Orchestre
de la Suisse Romande in Geneva. This was soon followed by invitations to conduct the Bamberg
Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Orchestra
Sinfonica di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orquesta Simfónica de Barcelona
y Nacional de Catalunya, the Orquesta Nacional de Espaňa, the Orchestra of the Frankfurter
Museumsgesellschaft as well as to the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden.
His US-Debut as a conductor took place in 2000 conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and
in 2006 with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. This was followed by regular re-invitations to the
renowned american orchestras.
In September 2000, Christian Zacharias assumed the post of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of
the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. He started his tenure as principal guest conductor of the
Göteborgs Symfoniker in the season 2002/ 2003.
In 2006 Christian Zacharias conducted Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” at the Geneva Opera House as his
first opera production. The next planned opera project together with the Orchestre de Chambre de
Lausanne is Jacques Offenbach’s “La belle Hélène”.
At the Mozart Festival Barcelona, which takes place annually, Christian Zacharias holds the position of
Artistic Director. In 2006, he conducted the Orquesta Sinfónica de Barcelona combining works by Mozart
and Stravinsky and this year, the programme will be dedicated to the works of the period “Sturm und
Drang”.
Christian Zacharias has been recording on the EMI label through 1997 and since 1998 he has a recording
contract with Dabringhaus and Grimm. For his recording of the Scarlatti sonatas, Christian Zacharias
received the Edison Award. He also appears in three documentary films: “Domenico Scarlatti in Seville”,
“Robert Schumann – the poet speaks” (both for INA in Paris) and “Between stage and greenroom”
(for WDR-arte).
Christian Zacharias studied with Irene Slavin and Vlado Perlemuter in Paris.
In January 2007, Christian Zacharias was awarded the Midem Classical Award “Artist of the year”
in Cannes.
February 2007 – Please do not use any previous material! This biography is to be
reproduced without any changes, omissions or additions, unless particularly authorised by
the artist management!
CHRISTIAN ZACHARIAS
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
“I was taken with Mr. Zacharias, both as a conductor and as the pianist in Mozart’s B-flat Concerto
(K.456). He is an ideal Haydn-Mozart man: meticulous yet natural, and with a near-genius for
finding just the tempo that both clarifies details and retains the movement’s essential energy.
Listening to Mr. Zacharias make music was like wearing a good suit, well made in every detail but
so comfortable that you don’t know you have it on. The Philharmonic players seemed to
understand what he wanted. He should come back with the same kind of repertory.”
- The New York Times
“Mr. Zacharias proved himself a worthy maestro – and he remains a top-notch pianist….elegant
and full of character….Rhythm was exact, and also fetchingly playful….The cadenza was beautiful
in its modesty, and modesty did not prevent a dash of virtuosity. There is a word that describes,
better than any other, this playing: Mozartean…...And the closing movement was a complete
delight: Mr. Zacharias prowled around the keyboard, showing feline grace… We heard Mozart’s
spirit of fun, of improvisation – a composer reveling in his own talent. Mr. Zacharias reveled in it
as well….You can go for many years without hearing a better Mozart performance.
- The New York Sun
“Superior and sparkling pianism are just the beginning of Zacharias’ virtues. As a conductor, he
has the gift of bringing out the best qualities in an orchestra……he drew from the Philharmonic
colorful, spontaneous and multileveled readings, performances of striking contrasts and surprising
subtlety.”
- Los Angeles Times
“Already well established as an outstanding piano soloist, Zacharias picked up the baton early last
decade and advanced so quickly that he now holds a couple of prominent posts in
Europe….There are special challenges to conducting from the piano, and Zacharias has mastered
them….While Mozart’s Concerto No. 22 shines the spotlight on the orchestra almost as much as it
does the pianist, the balance between soloist and ensemble was handled with delightful
delicacy….
- Twin Cities Pioneer Press
“Pianist-conductor Christian Zacharias conducted the National Symphony Orchestra in Schubert’s
rarely heard Sixth Symphony last night in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, and he introduced it
brilliantly….While the other musicians watched, he played Schubert’s Six German Dances on the
piano….Zacharias played them so freely that their boot-stomping rhythmic simplicities hit home,
as did their wide-eyed sweetness and beautifully profiled melodic curves. Then he conducted the
NSO ….Rhythms danced buoyantly….It was exhilarating….Zacharias was working wonders with
the NSO. It was all there and it was dancing. Zacharias should be invited back
immediately…..This was an evening to remember.”
- The Washington Post
“The orchestra, under Zacharias’s exacting leadership, achieved clean lines, breathtaking
contrasts, the happiest balance of enthusiasm and control….Emotional imagination and a tight
grip on form is what Zacharias offers to these pieces; the results on this occasion proved
irresistible….With his purling passage-work, angelic trills and an edgeless, singing tone that
combines steel with velvet, Zacharias is the most convincing of Mozarteans.”
- Los Angeles Times
“Christian Zacharias of Germany was the guest conductor and soloist in a program of Haydn and
Mozart. And what a felicitous evening it was. Here is a musician at home in the 18 th century, fully
confident he can make an impression without resorting to histrionics or effete manners….the
conductor always saw new possibilities in the same notes…..Zacharias is a musician full of ideas,
and he makes every supple phrase count.”
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“From the beginning, it was clear this is a musician who does things his own way….He doesn’t
overconduct in the concerto performances, preferring instead to give the orchestra a few
guidelines and concentrate on the key board, where he creates a beautifully limpid tone. The
performances are sharply drawn, gracefully executed and articulated. Zacharias puts a strong
individual stamp on the music, not by creating big virtuoso flourishes, but by seeking out the
meaning of each phrase and relishing the quieter moments.”
- The Seattle Times
“He is a tasteful, satisfying player who shapes every phrase with subtle, personal nuances and
has an electric sense of rhythm….Watching him conduct seemed almost like spying on a visual
artist; his gestures are reminiscent of a painter applying oils and of a sculptor molding materials.
He has no shred of conventional technique. Instead, he acts as though the music were a physical
substance to be molded in air, his hands, body, face all employed to shape phrases….Zacharias
was an integrationist, creating a bouquet of exquisite hues and carefully shaped gestures that
blended beautifully together….the piano and orchestra seemed to blend seamlessly, his playing
as liquid as the winds were luscious.”
- Los Angeles Times
CHRISTIAN
Ausgewählte Prog CHRISTIAN ZACHARIS
Selected programme proposals
I.
Haydn “Feldparthie“ B Major Hob. II: 46
Brahms Variations on a theme by Haydn op. 56 a
Brahms „Ein Deutsches Requiem“ op. 45
II.
Beethoven Coriolan Overture op. 62 c minor
Beethoven Piano concert no. 1 C Major op. 15
Beethoven Symphony no. 6 op. 68 F Major "Pastorale"
III.
Mozart Piano concert K 595 B flat Major no. 27
Schubert Symphony no. 9 D 944 C Major (“Die Grosse“)
IV.
Ives Symphony no. 3 "The camp meeting"
Brahms Symphony no.1 op. 68 c minor
V.
Mozart Piano concert K 491 c minor no. 24
Schubert “Sechs Deutsche Tänze“ D 820 for piano
Webern “Deutsche Tänze nach Schubert“ D 820
Schubert Symphony no. 6 D 589 C Major (“Kleine C-Dur Sinfonie“)
VI.
Brahms Piano concert no. 2 B flat Major op. 83
Brahms Symphony no. 3 F Major, op. 90
VII.
Mozart Piano concert K 238 B flat Major no. 6
Strawinsky Danses concertantes
Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales, version for orchestra
Mozart Piano concert K 459 F Major no. 19
CHRISTIAN ZACHARIAS
Discography
MDG Musikproduct. Dabringhaus & Grimm, Detmold
Chopin Piano concerts no. 1 & no. 2
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne MDG 340 1267-2
Mozart Piano works
Fantasies K 396, 397
Rondos K 485, 494, 511
Marcia K 453 A
Menuetto K 355
Adagio K 540
Gigue K 574 MDG 340 0961-2
Mozart Concertos K 482, 595
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne MDG 340 1182-2
Mozart Piano concert K 503
Scene/ Rondo K 505
Symphony K 504
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne MDG 340 0967-2/
MDG 940 0967-2
Schubert Quintet D 667 A Major (Trout-Quintet)
Leipziger Streichquartett MDG 307 0625-2
Schumann Piano concert op. 54
Introduction and Allegro Appassionato op. 92
Introduction and Allegro op. 134
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne MDG 340 1033-2/
MDG 940 1033-2
EMI
Great to Meet Christian Zacharias
Mozart Piano concert no. 15
English Chamber Orchestra - David Zinmann
Beethoven Piano concert no. 5
Staatskapelle Dresden - Hans Vonk
Scarlatti Piano sonatas K 55, K 381, K 880 4 78208 2
Piano Arts
Works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, 5 68507 2
Schumann, Scarlatti, Soler
J.S. Bach Preludes without fugues 5 56489 2
Beethoven Piano concerts no. 1 & no. 3
Staatskapelle Dresden - Hans Vonk 7 54076 2
Beethoven Piano concerts no. 1 - 5
(incl. “Tripel“-concert)
Ulf Hoelscher, Heinrich Schiff
Staatkapelle Dresden - Hans Vonk
Gewandhaus-Orchester Leipzig – Kurt Masur 7 63937 2 (3 CD)
Beethoven “Tripel“-concert
Violin romances no. 1 & 2
Ulf Hoelscher, Heinrich Schiff
Gewandhaus-Orchester Leipzig – Kurt Masur 7 47427 2
Beethoven Sonatas no. 5 - 7 op. 10/ 1-3 5 65465 2
Beethoven Quintet for piano and brass
Sabine Meyer Bläserensemble 5 550 13 2
Mozart Piano concerts no. 5, 6 & 11
Radio-Sinfonie Orchester Stuttgart
– Sir Neville Mariner 7 54195 2
Mozart Piano concerts no. 13 & 15
English Chamber Orchestra – David Zinmann 7 54307 2
Mozart Piano concerts no. 16 & 19
Radio Sinfonie Orchester Stuttgart
– Neville Mariner 7 49982 2
Mozart Piano concerts no. 20 & 21
Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen
Rundfunks – David Zinmann 7 49899 2
Mozart Piano concerts no. 20, 21, 23 & 27
Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks
– Günter Wand
Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen
Rundfunk – David Zinmann 7 67561 2
Mozart Piano concerts no. 22 & no. 23
Staatskapelle Dresden – David Zinmann 7 47428 2
Mozart Piano concerts no. 24 & no. 27
Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen
Rundfunks Hamburg – Günter Wand 7 47432 2
Mozart THE PIANO CONCERTS
Polnisches Kammerorchester – Jerzy Maksymiuk
English Chamber Orchestra – David Zinmann
Symphonie-Orchester des BR – David Zinmann
RSO Stuttgart – Sir Neville Marriner
Sinfonieorchester des NDR – Günter Wand 7 64051 2 (10 CD)
Mozart Concerts for two pianos K 242 and 365
Bamberger Symphoniker 567-556 785-2
Mozart The piano sonatas 5 65693 2 (6 CD)
Mozart Piano quartets K 478 & K 493 7 49879 2
Frank Peter Zimmermann,
Tabea Zimmermann, Tilmann Wick 567-749879-2
Mozart Quintet for pinao and brass
Sabine Meyer Ensemble 5 55013 2
Scarlatti 33 sonatas 7 63940 2 (2 CDs)
Scarlatti 18 sonatas 5 55343 2
Scarlatti Encore – Sonata K 55 in 20 versions
from the years 1973 - 1994 5 55402 2
Schubert Piano sonatas D 845, 850 & 894
2 Scherzi D 593 7 64655 2
Schubert The piano sonatas 7 65483 2
Schumann Piano concert a minor op. 54
Cello concert a minor op. 129 violin concert d minor,
Concert work for 4 horns op. 86, the 4 symphonies,
Overturen on “Manfred” - Genoveva
Kölner Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester – Hans Vonk
F.P. Zimmermann – Violine, Truls Mork – cello
5 65470 2 (4 CDs)
Schumann Piano quintet op.44
Piano quartets op. 41 no. 1-3
Cherubini Quartett 7 54511 2 (2 CD)
Schumann Noveletts op. 21
“Kinderszenen“ op. 15 7 54844 2
Schumann Papillons op. 2
“Davidsbündlertänze“ op. 6 5 65464 2