Rafał Blechacz
June 30, 1985 - Nakło nad Notecia (Poland)
About
In October 2005 he unanimously won the 15th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He also won three special prizes: the Polish Radio award for the best performance of the mazurkas, the Polish Chopin Society award for the best performance of the Polonaise and the Warsaw Philharmonic award for the best performance of the concerto. He is also the winner of the best sonata performance award founded by Krystian Zimerman.
He began his piano tuition at the age of five and now he’s completing his studies at the Feliks Nowowiejski Music Academy in Bydgoszcz with professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron. The young artist has already won many awards and prizes at the international piano competitions worldwide. Among them were the First Prize at the 4th International Piano Competition in Morocco and the First Prize and all non-statutory distinctions for the best mazurkas, polonaise and concerto performance at the 15th Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. The Golden Medal at the Chopin Competition opened the door for him to the most prestigious concert halls all over the world. The pianist was invited to perform at the Warsaw Philharmony Hall, the Tchaikovsky Hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, Tonhalle in Zurich, 12 recitals in major concert halls in Japan including Tokyo Opera City, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Herkules Saal in Munich, Wigmore Hall in London, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, re-invitation performances in Japan, including Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels). The latest artist's performances at the Summer festivals: Ruhr, Verbier and La Roque d'Antheron were enthusiastically received by the critics. Rafal Blechacz’s calendar is now fully booked 2 years in advance and includes performances at the major cultural centers of Europe, North America and the Far East.
On May 29th, 2006 the artist signed an exclusive 5-year contract with DGG for 3 recording productions. He is the second Pole ever, after Krystian Zimerman, to sign a contract with them. The first CD with Chopin's Preludes was released at the end of September 2007.