Andrei Gavrilov

Early life and Music Career

Andrei Gavrilov was born into a multinational family of artists in Moscow. His father was Vladimir Gavrilov (May 30, 1923 – December 4, 1974), one of the eminent Russian painters during the middle of the 20th century, through whom Gavrilov also has German ancestors. His mother was the Armenian pianist Assanetta Eguiserian (December 20, 1925 – November 29, 2006), who had studied with Heinrich Neuhaus and gave Gavrilov his first piano lessons at age 2. In 1961 he was inducted at the Moscow Central Music School and became a student of Tatyana Kestner, who had studied with Alexander Goldenweiser. He completed his studies with another Neuhaus disciple, Lev Naumov, at the Moscow Conservatory. By the age of 18, after one semester at the conservatory, he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1974 and rose to international fame when, at the Salzburg Festival the same year, he substituted for Sviatoslav Richter. Until 1979, Gavrilov performed in all the major music centers of the world performing up to 90 concerts a year, while continuing his studies at the university.

In 1979, at the first peak of Gavrilov's career, Herbert Karajan, who had heard him in Tchaikovsky's First Concerto in Berlin, offered recordings of all the Rachmaninoff concertos, despite the fact that Karajan only rarely conducted them. In December 1979, recordings were scheduled in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic for the 2nd concerto, but Gavrilov did not appear for the rehearsals. It was discovered that due to his critical remarks about the Soviet regime, the head of the KGB and later General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Yuri Andropov, with the approval of Leonid Brezhnev, had seized Gavrilov's passport and the flight ticket and cut his telephone line. Later, Gavrilov was put under mandatory house arrest and at times he was committed to psychiatric wards. Militia guarding Gavrilov once showed him an official order where it was stated that a fatal accident would not be unwelcome. Only through Mikhail Gorbachev's eventual intervention did this end in 1984, and Gavrilov received a "free passport", so that he could perform again in the West without having to obtain political asylum. In the following years, he lived in London and in Bad Camberg near Wiesbaden, Germany from 1989 and also assumed German citizenship.

In 1993, he retired from the active cultural scene, cancelled concerts and did not make any further studio recordings. According to an interview with The Guardian, he saw himself at the peak of his career, materially well situated, but not as a free, original and idealistic artist apart from the music industry. The planned two-year sabbatical eventually grew to eight years. At this time he studied the intentions of the composers in their works, religious and philosophical questions, lived half a year in Fiji, and fundamentally reworked his piano technique. In 2001 he moved to Lucerne, Switzerland and resumed concertizing in the 2001/02 season. Since August 2008 he has been living with his second wife and their son in Kanton Zurich.

In 1974 Melodiya recorded the 1st Tchaikovsky Concerto at the prize winner's concert of the Tchaikovsky Competition together with a live solo recital. In 1976 a studio recording of Rachmaninoff's 3rd concerto followed. From 1977 to 1989 he worked exclusively for EMI. From that time comes the legendary recording of the Chopin Etudes and many other works, notably by Chopin, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff and J. S. Bach. From 1991 to 1993 he recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, where he also duplicated some works already recorded for EMI. A number of projects, many with recordings new to Gavrilov's discography, were announced in 1992 but not realized: Bach's English Suites, the complete Beethoven piano concerti, the Choral Fantasia and the Diabelli Variations, as well as vaguer plans for works by Liszt (Transcendental Etudes, Paganini Etudes), Ravel's complete works for piano solo and with orchestra, and the piano concertos of Grieg and Schumann.

In 2012 Andrei Gavrilov held master classes for the first time, in Madrid and later in London. He thoroughly enjoys passing his ideas and experience on to others, and has since been very happy to do more master classes all around the globe, as and when his busy concert schedule allows.

2013 was a particularly busy year for Andrei Gavrilov. He completed writing his three volume auto biography, the first volume of which will be published in Russian and German in March & April 2014 respectively, with the English version hopefully following soon after. He also made his first new recording for 20 years: a CD of Chopin Nocturnes, which was done specially to be included with each copy of the book. He is now planning numerous other CD and DVD recordings with works of Bach, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann and more.

In April 2013 Andrei Gavrilov realized his longtime dream of conducting all concertos from the piano himself. He performed a concert in Belgrade playing and conducting three romantic concertos in one evening, with a full symphony orchestra. The concert was completely packed, and the audience was completely enthralled by the amazing musicianship that transpired from all of the players. It was a truly memorable and magical evening. Mr Gavrilov will be performing another special concert conducting two romantic concertos from the piano in Bristol in May 2014 and he hopes to work with many more orchestras in this way from now on.

Forthcoming engagements include performances and master classes throughout the world, including all major countries.

Complete discography

If not stated otherwise, recordings up to 1976 are released on Melodiya, those from 1977 to 1989 on EMI (in the beginning as a co-production with Melodiya), those from 1991 to 1993 on Deutsche Grammophon.

1974

1976

1977

1979

1981

1982

1983

1984

1984/1985

1985/1987

1986

1987

1988

1989

1991

1992:

1993

1999

2014

TV

1979

1989

1990

2000

Radio

2009

Other recordings

2006