Grigory Sokolov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grigory Sokolov
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Sokolov in 1967
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| Born | 18 April 1950 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| Citizenship | Spain |
| Education | Leningrad Conservatory |
| Occupation | Pianist |
Grigory Lipmanovich Sokolov (born April 18, 1950) is a world-famous Russian and Spanish classical pianist. He is known as one of the greatest living pianists today.
Sokolov can play music from many different time periods. His performances include music from Baroque composers like Bach and Couperin. He also plays modern pieces by composers like Schoenberg. He often tours and performs concerts across Europe and lives in Italy.
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Early Life and Musical Start
Sokolov was born in Leningrad, which was part of the Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia). He showed amazing musical talent from a very young age. He started playing the piano when he was only five years old.
At age seven, he was accepted into a special music school at the Leningrad Conservatory. A conservatory is a college for studying classical music. He later continued his studies at the conservatory with teacher Moisey Khalfin.
When he was just 12, Sokolov gave his first major concert in Moscow. He played a challenging program of music by many famous composers, including Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt.
Winning a Major Competition
At 16 years old, Sokolov became famous around the world. In 1966, he won the gold medal at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. He was the youngest person to ever win this important award.
His victory was a surprise to some people. One person noted, "16-year old Grisha Sokolov, who finally became the winner of that competition, was not taken seriously by anyone at that time." But his incredible talent proved them wrong.
Career as a Performer
Even after his big win, Sokolov's international career grew slowly. For many years, it was difficult for artists from the Soviet Union to travel to other countries. He did tour the United States a few times in the 1970s and also performed in countries like Finland and Japan.
In the 1980s, political tensions, like the war in Afghanistan, made it harder for him to travel. A planned tour in the U.S. was canceled. For a while, he only performed inside Russia.
Today, Sokolov is a huge star in European concert halls. He is less known in the United States because he does not tour there often. He also did not release any new recordings for 20 years, from 1995 to 2015.
In 2014, he signed a contract with the famous music label Deutsche Grammophon. Since then, he has released several albums of his live concert performances for his fans to enjoy. In 2022, he was also granted citizenship in Spain.
Public Protests
Sokolov has sometimes used his fame to stand up for his beliefs.
In 2009, he canceled a concert in London, England. He did this to protest a new British visa rule. The rule required all workers from outside the E.U. to provide fingerprints and eye scans. Sokolov felt this was unfair and reminded him of the strict government control he experienced in the Soviet Union.
In 2015, he was offered the Cremona Music Award. However, he refused to accept it. He learned that a music journalist named Norman Lebrecht, who he felt had been disrespectful to his family, had received the same award the year before. Sokolov stated that it would be a "shame to be in the same award-winners list with Lebrecht."
Musical Style and Influences
Sokolov has said that several great pianists inspired him when he was a student. He enjoyed listening to live concerts by Emil Gilels. From recordings, he was inspired by Rachmaninoff, Sofronitsky, Glenn Gould, and Lipatti.
He prefers to give solo concerts, called recitals, instead of playing concertos with an orchestra. He explained that with solo concerts, he can repeat the same music program in different cities. This allows him to explore the music more deeply each time he plays it.
When playing with an orchestra, there is often not enough time to practice. It can also be hard to find a conductor who shares his musical ideas.
See also
In Spanish: Grigori Sokolov para niños
