Konstantin Scherbakov

Who is Konstantin Scherbakov?

Konstantin Scherbakov is a Russian pianist. He was the winner of the first Rachmaninov Competition in 1983. In 1990, he played solo in four recitals at the Chamber Music Festival of Asolo; this launched his international career.

Scherbakov has had a successful recording career for Naxos Records; among his CDs on that label are recordings of all Tchaikovsky's Piano Concertos, the nine Beethoven symphonies, and music by Godowsky, Medtner, Respighi, Shostakovich, and Lyapunov. Critical acclaim has been high; Gramophone magazine has said that Scherbakov plays with "delicacy and affection", and the German Critics' Circle has twice awarded Scherbakov its top prize, once for a recording of Godowsky's Sonata in E minor and again for his performance of the piano version of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. His record of Shostakovich's Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues was labeled "a triumph" by ClassicsToday.com, and won him a classical award at Cannes in 2001.

Since 1998, Konstantin Scherbakov has been professor at the Zurich University of the Arts. He is a jury member in major international competitions and he regularly holds master classes all over the world. Many of his students won prizes and awards at international competitions, most recently Yulianna Avdeeva, the winner of the last International Chopin Competition in Warsaw.