Alexander Toradze facts for kids

Alexander Davidovich "Lexo" Toradze (Georgian: ალექსანდრე თორაძე Aleksandre Toradze; May 30, 1952 – May 11, 2022) was a famous Georgian-American pianist. He was best known for playing Russian classical music. His career as a musician lasted for over thirty years. He often performed as a solo artist with many of the world's biggest orchestras. These included the Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic. From 1991 to 2017, he also taught piano at Indiana University South Bend.

Early Life

Alexander Toradze was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. His father, David, was a well-known Georgian composer. His mother, Liana, was a movie actress and an eye doctor. Alexander started music school in Tbilisi when he was six years old. He first played with an orchestra at the age of nine. When he was nineteen, he continued his studies at the Moscow Conservatory in Moscow. He graduated in 1978.

Career Highlights

Winning a Big Award

In 1977, Toradze won the silver medal. This was at the Fifth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. A famous pianist and judge, Lili Kraus, later said about him: "I have never heard... power and passion with such limitless potential. He uses every atom... for no other purpose than that of living the music." She meant he put his whole self into playing.

Moving to the United States

In 1983, Alexander Toradze was on tour with the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra. While in Madrid, Spain, he decided to stay in the United States. He then made America his home.

Teaching and Performing

In 1991, Toradze became a piano professor at Indiana University South Bend. He led the Toradze Piano Studio. Students from his studio took part in many summer music festivals. These included famous ones in Salzburg, London, and Edinburgh.

Toradze played with many of the world's top orchestras. Some of these were the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, the London Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra. He also performed with almost every major orchestra in the United States. He worked with many famous conductors. These included Simon Rattle and Valery Gergiev.

Toradze was known for praying before his performances. When asked for advice, he once said: "Don't forget to pray to God before each performance. And don't forget to give your soul enough air. Believe in the right purpose of art and believe in being human."

Recordings

Toradze was a specialist in Russian composers. These included Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky. He made recordings for Philips and Angel/EMI.

One of his most famous recordings was in 1998. It featured Prokofiev's five piano concertos. He played with Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra. From this collection, Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 was called "historically the best on record." This was by International Piano Quarterly. He also recorded Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Other recordings included Prokofiev's Seventh Piano Sonata.

Personal Life and Passing

From 1990 to 2002, Toradze was married to pianist Susan Blake. They had two sons, Alex and David. On April 23, 2022, he experienced heart problems. This happened during a performance in Vancouver, Washington. He passed away less than three weeks later. He died on May 11, 2022, in South Bend, Indiana, at age 69.