Grigory Sokolov makes me smile!
He was born in Leningrad and started playing the piano at the age of five. Two years later, he began to study with Liya Zelikhman at the Central Special School of the Leningrad Conservatory. He went on to receive lessons from Moisey Khalfin at the Leningrad Conservatory and gave his debut recital in Leningrad in 1962.
Grigory Sokolov’s amazing musicianship was recognized in 1966 when, aged 16, he became the youngest musician ever to receive the Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. Emil Gilels, chairman of the jury of the Tchaikovsky Competition, subsequently championed Grigory Sokolov’s work.
While the pianist undertook major concert tours to the USA and Japan in the 1970s, his artistry evolved and matured away from the international spotlight. His live recordings from the Soviet era achieved near mythical status in the West, evidence of an artist at once entirely individual, yet nourished by the rich tradition of the Russian piano playing.
Let me show you:
