The admirable pianist with his clean and bright touch: Who is Grigory Sokolov?

Russian-born pianist Grigory Lipmanovich Sokolov, who was among the legendary performers of classical music during his lifetime, was born on April 18, 1950, in Leningrad, today's St. Petersburg. When he was introduced to the piano at the age of five and his talent was noticed at an early age, he entered the Leningrad Conservatory to study with the pianist and pedagogue Lilya Ilinichna Zelihman (1910-1971), who was the teacher of many important names of that period. Then he continued his education with Musa Halfin (1907? -1990).

Grigory Lipmanovich Sokolov (born April 18, 1950) is a Russian pianist with Spanish citizenship. He is among the most esteemed of living pianists, his repertoire spanning composers from the Baroque period such as Bach, Couperin or Rameau up to Schoenberg and Arapov. He regularly tours Europe (excluding the UK) and resides in Italy.

Sokolov gave his first recital at the Moscow Philharmonic Society when he was only twelve years old, with a program consisting of works by great composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Rahmaninov, Schumann, Skryabin and Shostakovich; He achieved his first major success, which brought him recognition, in 1966, as a sixteen-year-old, by winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition. The chairman of the competition jury, the legendary Russian pianist Emil Gilels (1916-1985), later became one of Sokolov's supporters.

The pianist, whose first forty years of his life coincided with the Cold War period, gave recitals in different countries such as America, Finland, and Japan in the late 1960s and 1970s. However, his career began to develop as it deserved only in the late 1980s. This time, with the increasing tension between Russia and the USA arising from the Afghanistan issue and the cancellation of all cultural agreements, the doors here were closed to him. As a matter of fact, the fact that he did not give a concert anywhere outside of Russia during the disintegration of the Soviet Union strengthens the view that the political atmosphere of the period affected his career.

The twenty-year period between 1995 and 2015 was a period of complete silence for Sokolov, who, despite being a well-known pianist in Europe, had fewer recordings published throughout his career compared to many of his contemporaries. The pianist, who had no recordings released during this period, only signed an agreement with Deutsche Grammophon in 2014, and the following year, he recorded two sonatas by Mozart and 24 preludes by Chopin. In addition, the Salzburg recital, in which he performed works by Bach, Rameau, and Skryabin, was broadcast. This is a set of fourteen CDs; He watched the sets created from his recitals in 2008 and 2013, released on CD and LP, as well as his Paris recital and concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, which were released as separate DVDs.

Sokolov, who has a wide repertoire ranging from Baroque period composers including Bach, Couperin, and Rameau to contemporary period composers such as Arapov and Schönberg, has a highly respected place in the classical music community as an important representative of the tradition.

Sokolov, who fascinates loyal and attentive listeners of classical music who are familiar with his performances with his clean and bright touch, which they can easily distinguish among many pianists, undoubtedly deserves the title of legend with his flawless technique.

I think trills, which are among the characteristic elements of Baroque music and reflect the perfectionism in Sokolov's unique technique, are a signature of his impressive performances for most of us. No matter what period or composer; His performance, which makes you feel how finely craftsmanship he has worked in grasping the essence of the piece he is performing, the depth of his interpretation, and his passion for music, require us to place him in a special place among both his contemporaries and young pianists.

Of course, there are countless performers who perform solo music written for the harpsichord by baroque composers on the piano. However, I have never met a listener who did not appreciate how Sokolov presented the nuances that were not in the original score and the tempo of the piece to the listener, as if filtered through a retort, with a clean, sharp but elegant touch, to the extent of the possibilities provided by the piano.

Grigory Sokolov, now in his mid-seventies, is one of the last great representatives of an ancient tradition whose future is uncertain.