Grigory Sokolov
Grigory Sokolov is among the most important Russian pianists to have emerged from the latter half of the 20th century. His career has both suffered and thrived from restraints foisted on him by Soviet authorities: like other iconic Russian keyboard giants of the past, in particular Sviatoslav Richter and Lazar Berman, he was prohibited from appearing in the West for a time, but when he finally debuted in western Europe and the United States, his career took a meteoric upswing, with Sokolov suddenly in heavy demand in the world's major concert halls. Another aspect of Sokolov's career that has added to his charismatic though eccentric persona has been his general avoidance of the recording studio. Most of his recordings are drawn from live concerts, and they attest to his virtuosity and interpretive genius in unusual but generally conservative fare: while his repertory takes in Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev, it also includes Byrd, Couperin, Rameau, and Froberger. Sokolov has recorded for several labels, including Melodiya, Opus 111, Naïve, and Deutsche Grammophon.
Sokolov was born in Leningrad, Russia, on April 18, 1950. At five, he was playing the piano and two years later began studies with Liya Zelikhman. At 15, as a student at the Leningrad Conservatory under Moisey Khalfin, he captured first prize in the prestigious Russian National Competition. More impressive, he won the Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1966, at 16, still the youngest pianist ever given that most coveted of competition medals. In the wake of his victory, Sokolov became an instant celebrity in his homeland, appearing as a soloist with the major orchestras and as a recitalist in the most important concert halls, but he was not allowed to concertize in the West by Soviet authorities until the late '80s. In the meantime, he taught piano at the Leningrad Conservatory from 1975 as an adjunct to his concert and recording activity. In 1990, his Paris debut was a sensation, and he became an overnight celebrity in the United States as well. Sokolov continued to impress his admirers: his November 2006 concerts in Paris and Dusseldorf, playing the same program of Bach, Beethoven, and Scriabin works in each city, drew rave reviews.
However, for much of his career, recorded artifacts of Sokolov's work were sparse. He recorded some albums for Opus 111 and Naïve in the 1990s and early 2000s, but still generally declined to record with the frequency that his celebrity would make possible. He believes that each performance is unique and that to repeat a performance would be to diminish it. Several live recordings appeared, including one of Beethoven's Piano Sonata in B flat major, Op. 106 ("Hammerklavier"), made at the 2013 Salzburg Festival. The situation changed for Sokolov lovers in late 2014, however, when the pianist signed a contract with Deutsche Grammophon allowing the release of selected live performances on CD. The premier album in this series appeared in 2015, featuring recitals devoted to Schubert and Beethoven, and a 2017 album, with performances of concertos by Mozart and Rachmaninov, included a documentary disc by Russian producer Nadia Zhdanova, along with poetry by the pianist's late wife, Inna Sokolova. In 2020, Sokolov issued a recording of music by Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart, which includes a DVD of a 2017 recital in Turin.
© Robert Cummings & James Manheim /TiVo
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Grigory Sokolov at Esterházy Palace (Live)
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Apr 8, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Brahms (Live)
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on May 8, 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Frédéric Chopin : Préludes
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Classical - Released by naïve classique on Jul 15, 2013
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Recordings on Naïve
Classical - Released by naïve classique on Sep 1, 2017
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Schubert & Beethoven (Live)
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 15, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Classical - Released by JSC Firma Melodiya on Nov 21, 2012
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Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
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Chopin: 24 Preludes, Piano Sonata No. 2, Etudes Op. 25
Classical - Released by naïve classique on Oct 31, 2007
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Classical Melancholy
Grigory Sokolov, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Quatuor Mosaïques
Classical - Released by naïve classique on Nov 24, 2017
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Chopin: 24 Preludes Opus 28
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Chopin: Sonate No. 2, Op 35 & 12 études, Op. 25
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Chopin: Etudes, Op. 25 & Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35
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Mozart / Rachmaninoff: Concertos
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Bach: Die Kunst der Füge
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Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
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The Art of Grigory Sokolov
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Oct 2, 2020
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Schubert: Sonatas D894 & D960
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Scriabine, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov
Classical - Released by naïve classique on Jan 1, 1991
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Bach, Beethoven, Brahms & Chopin: The Recordings of Grigory Sokolov
Classical - Released by naïve on Jan 1, 2005
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Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 5 & Ballades Op. 10
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The Salzburg Recital (Live)
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 5, 2015
Gramophone Editor's Choice16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo