Anna Gourari

The Russian composers are incredibly important to me as they transmit the Russian way of thinking and feeling. This is a very particular way which is only to be found in this cultural context, an extreme connection between erudite thoughts and ecstatic feelings.
 
 
Anna Gourari is one of the most outstanding pianists of her generation. Her playing has been described as technically perfect and dazzling, an almost perfect blend of fiery attack and poetic magic combined with pure intellectual freedom. Gourari was born in Kazan, Russia. Her parents were both teachers at the Kazan Music Academy and Anna began piano lessons at [...]
The Russian composers are incredibly important to me as they transmit the Russian way of thinking and feeling. This is a very particular way which is only to be found in this cultural context, an extreme connection between erudite thoughts and ecstatic feelings.
 
 
Anna Gourari is one of the most outstanding pianists of her generation. Her playing has been described as technically perfect and dazzling, an almost perfect blend of fiery attack and poetic magic combined with pure intellectual freedom. Gourari was born in Kazan, Russia. Her parents were both teachers at the Kazan Music Academy and Anna began piano lessons at the age of five, and from 1979 attended a special school for gifted children in her home town. Later she attended several master classes with Professor Vera Gornostaeva at the Moscow Conservatory.
 
In 1986, Gourari won first prize in the Kabalevsky Competition in Russia; four years later, she won first prize at the first International Chopin Competition in Göttingen. That same year, she moved to Germany and continued her piano studies with Ludwig Hoffmann und Gitti Pirner in Munich. In 1994, Gourari won the Clara Schumann Piano Competition in Düsseldorf Jury: Martha Argerich, Alexis Weissenberg, Nelson Freire, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Joachim Kaiser a.o. , which led to appearances at major concert venues and major orchestras around the world, including performances with such leading conductors as Sir Colin Davis, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Kirill Petrenko and Iván Fischer.
 
Anna Gourari made her ECM debut in 2012 with Canto Oscuro, an album featuring works by Bach/Busoni, Hindemith, Gubaidulina and Bach/Siloti. The Boston Globe reviewer wrote: This smartly crafted and beautifully performed recital by pianist Anna Gourari unfolds like a history of Bachs enduring influence in the 20th century and praised the pianists opulent tone and remarkable fluidity. Her next release, Visions Fugitives, coupled Prokofievs eponymous work with Chopins Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor and the Fairy Tale in F minor by Medtner. Music Web International hailed this recital as a rich feast of superbly recorded piano.
 
Film director Werner Herzog cast Gourari in the lead part in his film Invincible, in which she portrays a pianist. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2001. Composers have dedicated works to her, including Jörg Widmanns Piano Sonata Fleur du Mal as well as Diary Seven Pieces for piano by Rodion Shchedrin whose foundation awarded Gourari the Shchedrin/Plisetskaya Chamber Music Award. Her highly acclaimed recordings led to her winning the Deutsche Phonoakademies ECHO Klassik as Up-and-coming Musician of the Year and Instrumentalist of the Year. For her highly successful Brahms recording of the late piano pieces opp. 116-119 she was awarded the Diapason dOr.
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YEAR DATE Artist VENUE LOCATION
2023 September 29 Joe Lovano, Avishai Cohen, Anouar Brahem, Tigran Hamasyan u.v.m.

Konzert für Manfred Eicher w/ Joe Lovano, John Surman, Avishai Cohen, Anouar Brahem, Tigran Hamasyan, Dave Holland, Gidon Kremer, Kim Kashkashian, Bobo Stenson Trio, Danish String Quartet, Vox Clamantis u.v.m.

Elbphilharmonie, großer Saal Hamburg, Germany Event
2023 October 08 Anja Lechner / Anna Gourari / Hanna Weinmeister

Piano trios by Valentin Silvestrov; W.A. Mozart; Tigran Mansurian; Robert Schumann

Festival CONTAMINAZIONI CONTEMPORANEE Bergamo, Italy
2023 October 20 Anna Gourari

w/ Tatjana Vassiljeva, Peter Clemente

Altes Schulhaus Gundamsried, Germany
2023 October 21 Anna Gourari

w/ Tatjana Vassiljeva, Peter Clemente

Kulturhaus Blaibach, Germany
2023 October 22 Anna Gourari

w/ Tatjana Vassiljeva, Peter Clemente

Allerheiligen Hofkirche Munich, Germany Event
2023 October 29 Anja Lechner / Anna Gourari / Hanna Weinmeister

Piano trios by Valentin Silvestrov; W.A. Mozart; Tigran Mansurian; Robert Schumann

Triskel Christ Church Cork, Ireland
2023 November 02 Anja Lechner / Anna Gourari / Hanna Weinmeister

Piano trios by Valentin Silvestrov; W.A. Mozart; Tigran Mansurian; Robert Schumann

Wigmore Hall London, United Kingdom