Christian Zacharias
By the 1990s, Christian Zacharias established himself as one of the leading pianists of his generation, but like many of his keyboard colleagues -- Ashkenazy and Eschenbach immediately come to mind -- he has established a parallel career as a conductor. Although Zacharias has not quite achieved the success on the podium as those two, he has regularly conducted leading European and American orchestras while remaining active as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber music collaborator. Zacharias has made over 50 recordings (mostly as a pianist) for several labels, including EMI, MD&G, and EuroArts.
Christian Zacharias was born in Jamshedpur, India, on April 27, 1950. He began piano lessons at age seven, but his first serious studies were at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe (1960-1969), where his primary teacher was Irene Slavin. In 1969 he entered the Geneva International Piano Competition and won second prize. In 1970 he began a three-year period of study with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris. Zacharias competed in the Van Cliburn Competition in 1973, but again finished second.
In 1975, however, he finally captured first prize in a major international event, the Paris-based Ravel Competition. Zacharias began recording for EMI the following year, and would, by 1997, make over 40 albums for the label, covering a broad range of repertory, including Mozart (complete concertos and sonatas), Beethoven (complete concertos), Scarlatti, Schubert, Schumann, and many others.
Despite great success throughout the 1980s and early '90s in his keyboard career, Zacharias decided to take up conducting in 1992. His debut was in Geneva with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Further engagements in Europe followed, and in 2000 Zacharias made his American debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Later that year he led performances with the Seattle and National Symphony Orchestras. Since then, he has also branched out into conducting opera.
In 1997 Zacharias began recording for the German label MD&G, and through 2007 made about a dozen CDs, both as conductor and pianist. On some recordings he appeared in both roles: for the Chopin concertos and the Schumann A minor concerto recordings, he conducted the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne from the keyboard.
Zacharias' concert engagements included an appearance at the July 2006 International Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, where he performed the Schumann, but this time with conductor Christoph von Dohnányi. Among Zacharias' later recordings is the 2007 release of Schubert's A major Sonata (D. 959) and Six German Dances. Zacharias was appointed as artistic director for the inaugural, 2012 International Radio Orchestras’ Festival, held in Bucharest.
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Mozart: Piano Concerto K. 503 & Symphony K. 504 & Aria K. 505
Bernarda Fink, Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne, Christian Zacharias
Klassiek - Released by Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm (MDG) on 1 apr. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Quartets, K. 478 & 493
Christian Zacharias, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Tabea Zimmermann, Tilmann Wick
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Piano Concerto, Op. 54
Christian Zacharias, Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne
Divers - Released by Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm (MDG) on 1 mrt. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, W.A.: Violin Concerto No. 5 / Piano Concerto No. 25
Frank Peter Zimmermann, Christian Zacharias, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Gary Bertini
Klassiek - Released by CapriccioNR on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Christian Zacharias, Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne
Divers - Released by Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm (MDG) on 1 mrt. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 25 & 26 Krönungskonzert
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 23 mei 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Tripelkonzert, Op. 56 & Klavierkonzert No. 3, Op. 37
Christian Zacharias, Ulf Hoelscher, Heinrich Schiff, Kurt Masur, Hans Vonk
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 13 aug. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto pour piano, cordes et basse continue
Christian Zacharias, Orchestre National d'Auvergne, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Klassiek - Released by XXI Music on 3 apr. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Op. 56 & Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 37
Christian Zacharias, Ulf Hoelscher, Heinrich Schiff, Kurt Masur, Hans Vonk
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 13 aug. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best of Schumann [International Version] (International Version)
Christian Zacharias, Kölner Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester, Hans Vonk
Klassiek - Released by EMI on 29 mrt. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert - Quinteto "La Trucha"
Christian Zacharias, Cuarteto de Leipzig
Klassiek - Released by Send - Alia on 16 nov. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 "Emperor"
Christian Zacharias, Staatskapelle Dresden, Hans Vonk
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 31 jul. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo