Boris Bloch

"Every piano wants to be played and every pianist wants to play – all the more so when the instrument is excellent. This is the case with Bechstein pianos. It’s love at first sight, or at first touch."

Boris Bloch

Boris Bloch, born 1951 in Odessa, studied among others with Dimitri Bashkirov. After studying in Moscow, Bloch was winner of international piano competitions, among others he won first prize at the 1976 Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York, silver medal at the 1977 Artur Rubinstein Piano Masters Competition in Tel Aviv and first prize at the 1978 International Piano Competition "Ferruccio Busoni" in Bolzano. He was awarded the Honorary Golden Needle of the International Liszt Society in Vienna. He has made numerous appearances, among others at the Klavier Festival Ruhr, Chopin Festival, Carinthian Summer in Ossiach, Mozart Festival in Salsomaggiore Terme, Festival Rarities of Piano Music at Husum, Varna Summer Festival, Piano Festival "Russian School" in Freiburg, Rheingau Music Festival, first Busoni-Piano Festival, Bolzano, in Santander and the European Liszt Night in Weimar.From Bloch there are several CD recordings having reference character, in particular his recordings of Liszt's opera paraphrases, which were awarded the Grand Prix International du Disque Liszt, as well as recordings of Mussorgsky's piano works, which received the Excellence Disque prize. Since 1985 Boris Bloch is professor of piano at the Folkwang Conservatory in Essen. He is a regular juror at important piano competitions and in 2006 was artistic director of the 1st International Carl Bechstein Piano Competition.

"Every piano wants to be played and every pianist wants to play – all the more so when the instrument is excellent. This is the case with Bechstein pianos. It’s love at first sight, or at first touch – and the better the pianist, the more love the instrument gives back. Such a relationship is a source of lasting, stimulating happiness that involves not only the two protagonists, but also the piano manufacturer who stands behind the instrument and is committed to provide solicitous artist care services. These include a concert series at one of the world’s best venues, the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, that celebrates the union of pianist and instrument. For every artist, participating in the Bechstein concert series is the summit of a recital season."

Foto © Stephan Schilling

Boris Bloch plays Chopin, Dvorák and Tschaikowsky

Boris Bloch plays Chopin, Dvorák and Tschaikowsky

 Boris Bloch, student of Dmitrii Bashkirov, has been considered one of the great pianists of our time since winning the Busoni Competition in Bolzano in 1978. These recordings from 2008 by Mercator Duisburg verify this rank. He performed an impressive interpretation of the Dvorak concerto with the Duisburg Philharmonica conducted by Jonathan Darlington. On the second CD with Chopin's Impromptus and works by Tchaikovsky Boris Bloch demonstrates that he knows how to make the Bechstein grand piano sing beautifully.

Find more about Boris Bloch