Music from our Gilmore Artists

Do you know about our Gilmore Artist Award? The Gilmore Artist Award recognizes extraordinary piano artistry with some of the most generous financial support given in the musical arts. The $300,000 award is conferred every four years to an international pianist of any age and nationality following a rigorous and confidential selection process.

Over the past 30 years, eight gifted pianists from around the world have received the Gilmore Artist Award. Want to get a taste of their music? Today we’re sharing an album (or in one case, two!) from each Gilmore Artist to add to your listening list.

 

David Owen Norris (1991)
David Owen Norris, the first recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award, has played concertos throughout North America and Australia, along with several appearances in the BBC Proms. A television program entirely devoted to his work on the Elgar Piano Concerto, ending with a spectacular performance of the complete work, has been shown frequently. Concerto recordings include his own composition, Piano Concerto in C, with the BBC Concert Orchestra, as well as works by Lambert, Phillips, Horowitz, and Arnell.

This album, released in 2011, features the music of Roger Quilter, an English Composer who lived from 1877 to 1953.

 

Ralf Gothóni (1994)
Finnish-German pianist Ralf Gothóni enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, composer, and conductor worldwide. He became well-known for his unconventional way of music-making, not only as a pianist, but in the wholeness of musicianship. He began his studies on the violin at age three and on piano at age five. At 15, he made his first appearance with an orchestra; in 1967, he debuted at the Jyväskylä Summer Festival.

Released in 1991 and 1992, these two albums feature four of Franz Schubert’s piano sonatas.

 

Leif Ove Andsnes (1998)
With his commanding technique and searching interpretations, the celebrated Norwegian pianist Lief Ove Andsnes has won acclaim worldwide, performing concertos and recitals in leading concert halls and with foremost orchestras while building an esteemed and extensive discography. An avid chamber musician, he is the founding director of the Rosendal (Norway) Chamber Music Festival, was co-artistic director of the Risør (Norway) Festival of Chamber Music for nearly two decades and served as music director of California’s Ojai Music Festival in 2012. He was inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame in July 2013 and received honorary doctorates from New York’s Juilliard School and Norway’s University of Bergen in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

This album, released in 2017, features the works of Jean Sibelius, a Finnish composer who lived from 1865 to 1957. 

 

Piotr Anderszewski (2002)
Piotr Anderszewski is recognized internationally for the intensity and originality of his interpretations. He appears regularly in recital in concert halls such as the Weiner Konzerthaus, Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall (London), Carnegie Hall (NYC), Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris) and The Concertgebouw (Amsterdam). His collaborations with orchestra have included appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin Staatskapelle orchestras, the London Symphony and Philharmonia orchestras and the NHK Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo). He has also placed special emphasis on conducting from the keyboard, working with orchestras such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and Camerata Salzburg.

Anderszewski’s latest album was released in January 2021 and features excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier, Book 2.

 

Ingrid Fliter (2006)
Born in Buenos Aires, Ingrid Fliter began her piano studies in Argentina with Elizabeth Westerkamp. She moved to Europe in 1992 where she continued her studies at the Freiburg Hochschule für Musik with Vitaly Margulis, in Rome with Carlo Bruno, and at the Academy “Incontri col Maestro” in Imola with Franco Scala and Boris Petrushansky. She was a laureate of the Ferruccio Busoni Competition in Italy and was awarded the silver medal at the 2000 Frederic Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Ms. Fliter was also selected as a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist from 2007-2009, during which time she worked with several BBC orchestras. 

Released in 2018, this album features Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes.

 

Kirill Gerstein (2010)
Kirill Gerstein’s natural versatility and curiosity have led him to explore a wide range of repertoire and styles. From Bach to Adès, his playing is distinguished by a discerning intelligence, great virtuosity, and a clarity of expression which he combines with an energetic and imaginative musical presence. Mr. Gerstein was born in the former Soviet Union, studying both classical and jazz piano from a young age. At age 14, he moved to the US where he was the youngest student to ever attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music. 

Nominated earlier this year for Best Classical Instrumental Solo at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards, this album features works by Thomas Adès, a contemporary British composer.

 

Rafał Blechacz (2014)
Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz (pronounced RA-faw BLEH-hawtch) has been praised as “one of the pianistic giants of our time” (The Sunday Times). The music of Chopin resonates strongly with Blechacz and he is recognized for his intelligent and expressive interpretations of the composer’s works, yet his abundant virtuosity and profound musicianship have incited equal acclaim for his performances of works by an increasingly wide range of composers, from Bach and Beethoven to Liszt, Debussy, and Szymanowski.

This album, released in 2011, pairs the works of the French composer Claude Debussy with Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. 

 

Igor Levit (2018)
Hailed as “one of the essential artists of his generation” by The New York Times, 2018 Gilmore Artist Igor Levit has quickly distinguished himself as a pianist of immense technical prowess and intellectual depth. Born in Russia in 1987, Levit relocated with his family at a young age to Germany. As the youngest participant in the 2005 Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv, he won the Silver Prize, as well as the Prize for Best Performer of Chamber Music, the Audience Favorite Prize, and the Prize for Best Performer of Contemporary Music.

The latest release by our current Gilmore Artist, Igor Levit, was released in 2020 and features works by J.S. Bach, Johannes Brahms, Max Reger, and Morton Feldman.