Christian Zacharias | Biography
Conductor, Piano
The qualities that make Christian Zacharias one of the world’s most celebrated pianists have enabled him also to make his mark as a conductor, festival director, musical thinker, writer, and broadcaster: integrity married to individualism; deep musical insight matched by a sure poetic instinct; a brilliance in communication; a charismatic and commanding platform manner.
He made his name first as a pianist, and continues to appear in concerto and recital worldwide. He performs with the world’s leading conductors and conducts the most renowned orchestras; many of his recordings were awarded international prizes.
His tendency to embark on long musical journeys with kindred spirits is reflected in his work as conductor. Since 2000 Zacharias has been Principal Conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and with them he made a number of critically acclaimed recordings, including works by Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, and Michael Haydn. Especially notable is their ongoing complete cycle of Mozart’s piano concertos which were awarded the ECHO Classic, the Diapason d’Or and Choc du Monde de la Musique. In 2010 Volume V (Piano Concertos K 175, 246, and 488) has also been awarded the ECHO Classic. In February 2012 Volume VIII (Piano Concertos K 491 and 503) has been released.
Zacharias has also been Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra since the 2002/03 season, and in 2009 he became an “Artistic Partner” of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Additionally, he enjoys long-term relationships with many other orchestras such as Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra with whom he appears as a regular guest. Most recently he has embarked on an operatic career with productions of two very different works: Mozart’s opera seria “La Clemenza di Tito” (Geneva) and Offenbach’s Opéra bouffe “La Belle Hélène”. In autumn 2011 he conducted a new production of Le Nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opéra de Wallonie in Liège.
Since 1990 he has participated in three films: “Domenico Scarlatti in Sevilla”, “Robert Schumann – der Dichter spricht” (INA, Paris) and “Zwischen Bühne und Künstlerzimmer” (WDR-Arte).
Zacharias’ career has been marked by many awards and prizes, including the 2007 Midem Classical Award “Artist of the Year” in Cannes. After having been awarded for his services to the culture in Rumania in 2009, Christian Zacharias has recently been bestowed the highly honourable title of a "Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French state.
On the occasion of his 60th birthday, 2010, the Alte Oper Frankfurt arranged an "Artist's Portrait" of Christian Zacharias, which presented him as pianist, conductor, chamber musician, and as Lied accompanist with five concerts and three films. Renowned ensembles and colleagues appeared alongside him: he conducted the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Opern- und Museumsorchester Frankfurt. In the Avery Fisher Hall he performs Beethoven’s piano concerto No. 4 and Brahms’ piano concerto No. 2 together with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jonathan Nott.
Particularly noteworthy, Christian Zacharias appeared in recital in Carnegie Hall in New York in December 2011, the first German pianist to do so in over thirty years. Recitals in season 2012/13 are among other cities in Rome, Paris and London.
Moreover, in season 2012/13 he appears with the Boston Symphony, the Hallé Orchestra Manchester, the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester Berlin, the Orquesta Nacional de España and the Orchestre National de France as conductor and pianist. He also continues his close artistic cooperation with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Additionally he was appointed Artistic Director of the International Radio Orchestras’ Festival in Bucharest, which will be launched for the first time in September 2012.
Since 2011 Christian Zacharias has been professor for orchestra playing at the Academy of Music and Drama Gothenburg.
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