Elena Kuschnerova ( rus, Еле́на Ефи́мовна Кушнеро́ва, Yelena Yefimovna Kushnerova; born 6 January 1959 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

) is a Russian-born classical

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

Biography

Elena Kuschnerova was born into a musical family in

. She began her piano education at the age of five with her mother. At seven, she became a student of Tatyana Kestner at the Moscow Central Music School. At the age of nine, Kuschnerova made her first appearance with orchestra conducted by

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenian ...

playing

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

's Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, which was recorded by

Radio Moscow Radio Moscow ( rus, Pадио Москва, r=Radio Moskva), also known as Radio Moscow World Service, was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1993. It was reorganized with a new name ...

. Upon graduation she studied at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

with

Sergei Dorensky Sergei Leonidovich Dorensky (russian: Серге́й Леони́дович Доре́нский; 3 December 1931 – 26 February 2020) was a Russian pianist. He was trained under Grigory Ginsburg at the Moscow Conservatory. Dorensky was awarded ...

. After receiving her diploma (with honors) in 1982, she went on tour in the Soviet Union for the next eight years. Foreign appearances and participation in international competitions were not allowed by Soviet authorities.Jürgen Otten. ''Die großen Pianisten der Gegenwart''. Henschel Verlag, Berlin/Leipzig 2009, pp. 191, 198, 259, (in German) Ingo Harden, Gregor Willmes. ''Pianisten Profile. 600 Interpreten: ihre Biografie, ihr Stil, ihre Aufnahmen''. Bärenreiter, 2008, p. 407, (in German) In 1992 Kuschnerova emigrated to Germany and started a new career there. In the following years, she earned international acclaim giving concerts in Western Europe, USA and Japan. As a piano professor she taught master classes in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, and the USA. Since 2006 she has been guest professor at the

Elisabeth University of Music is a Jesuit university in Hiroshima, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1948. It was chartered as a university in 1963. History Belgian Jesuit Father Ernest Goossens began a music classroom for youths right after the devasta ...

in Hiroshima. Kuschnerova lives nowadays in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

and in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Music

Several composers have written piano works for Kuschnerova, who also premiered most of them. * During her time as a student in Moscow, Kuschnerova was influenced by the composer Alexander Lokshin. In 1982 he dedicated a piano cycle "Prelude and Theme with Variations" to her. She premiered it the same year; *

Siegfried Matthus Siegfried Matthus (13 April 1934 – 27 August 2021) was a German composer, conductor, and festival founder and manager. Some of his operas, such as '' Judith'', were premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin in East Berlin. In 1991, he founded the ...

, "Die Sehnsucht nach der verlorenen Melodie" ("Longing for the lost tune"), piano concerto. First performance by Elena Kuschnerova 2002 in Dresden with

Dresden Philharmonic The Dresdner Philharmonie (Dresden Philharmonic) is a German symphony orchestra based in Dresden. Its principal concert venue is the ''Kulturpalast''. The orchestra also performs at the Kreuzkirche, the Hochschule für Musik Dresden, and the ...

orchestra, conductor

Marek Janowski Marek Janowski (born 18 February 1939 in Warsaw) is a Polish-born German conductor. He is currently chief conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic. Childhood Janowski grew up in Wuppertal, near Cologne, after his mother traveled there at the st ...

; * Mikhail Kollontay, piano concerto op. 45. First performance by Elena Kuschnerova 2011 in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, conductor Freddy Cadena; * Mikhail Kollontay, Seven Romantic Ballads, op. 2bis.

Harold Schonberg Harold Charles Schonberg (29 November 1915 – 26 July 2003) was an American music critic and author. He is best known for his contributions in ''The New York Times'', where he was chief music critic from 1960 to 1980. In 1971, he became the fi ...

, the former chief music critic for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', wrote about Kuschnerova's "

Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (; russian: Александр Николаевич Скрябин ; – ) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. Before 1903, Scriabin was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and composed ...

- 12 Études, Op. 8, 24 Preludes, Op. 11, 2 Poèmes, Op. 32" CD in the ''

American Record Guide The ''American Record Guide'' (''ARG'') is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935. History and profile The magazine was founded by Peter Hugh Reed in May 1935 as the ''American Music Lover''. It chang ...

'': "These are the best recorded performances I am familiar with". Jürgen Otten names Kuschnerova in ''Die großen Pianisten der Gegenwart'' (''The Great Pianists of Modern Times'') together with

Elisabeth Leonskaja Elisabeth Leonskaja (born 23 November 1945) (In Russian: Елизавета Ильинична Леонская) is a Soviet and Austrian pianist. She was born to a family of Jewish and Polish extraction living in Tbilisi, then the capital of t ...

and

Lilya Zilberstein Lilya Efimovna Zilberstein (russian: Лилия Ефимовна Зильберштейн; born 19 April 1965) is a Russian-born German pianist. Biography Born in Moscow and educated at the Gnessin State Musical College (1971–88), she rose to pro ...

as the three most notable Russian female pianists. He acknowledges her "flawless technique" and "enormous tonal wisardry" and calls her "pianist par excellence". Kuschnerova is a Steinway Artist since 2001.Steinway ArtistsElena Kuschnerova
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Selected recordings

Peter Tschaikowsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

–

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

. Bella Musica, 1996 * Sergei Prokofiev - '' Romeo & Juliet, Ten Pieces for Piano'', Op. 75, Piano Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 14, March from the Opera ''

The Love for Three Oranges ''The Love for Three Oranges'', Op. 33, also known by its French language title ' (russian: Любовь к трём апельсинам, links=no, ''Lyubov' k tryom apel'sinam''), is a satirical opera by Sergei Prokofiev. Its French libretto ...

'', Op. 33. Ars Musici (GER), 1997 *

Alexander Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (; russian: Александр Николаевич Скрябин ; – ) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. Before 1903, Scriabin was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and composed ...

- 12 Études, Op. 8, 24 Preludes, Op. 11, 2 Poèmes, Op. 32. Ars Musici, 2000 *

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

- ''

Italian concerto The ''Italian Concerto'', BWV 971, originally titled ''Concerto nach Italiænischen Gusto'' (''Concerto in the Italian taste''), is a three-movement concerto for two- manual harpsichord solo composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and published in 17 ...

'', BWV 971, '' French Suite No. 2 in C minor'', BWV 813, ''Toccata in E minor'', BWV 914, '' Partita No. 6'', BWV 830, ''Prelude and Fugue in C minor'', BWV 871, from ''

The Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of in ...

''. Orfeo, 2001 *

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

- ''

Pictures at an Exhibition ''Pictures at an Exhibition'', french: Tableaux d'une exposition, link=no is a suite (music), suite of ten piano pieces, plus a recurring, varied Promenade theme, composed by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The piece is Mussorgsky's ...

'', Piano pieces. Orfeo, 2002 * Live in Tokyo (

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, also known as Domingo or Doménico Scarlatti (26 October 1685-23 July 1757), was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the deve ...

, Claude Debussy,

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

, Sergei Prokofiev,

– Siloti). Steinway Japan, 2002 *

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

- Piano works. Ars Produktion, 2005 *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

- Piano pieces, Op. 116–119. Ars Produktion, 2005 * Johannes Brahms - Four Ballads, Op. 10. Mikhail Kollontay - ''Romantic Ballads'', Op. 2bis. Ars Produktion, 2008 * Frédéric Chopin - Piano concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (arr. chamber ensemble). Major, 2010 * Frédéric Chopin - Piano concertos Nos. 1 & 2. Major, 2010. * Robert Schumann - ''

Faschingsschwank aus Wien ''Faschingsschwank aus Wien'' (''Carnival Scenes from Vienna'' or ''Carnival Jest from Vienna''), Op. 26, is a solo piano work by Robert Schumann. He began composition of the work in 1839 in Vienna. He wrote the first four movements in Vienna, ...

'', Op. 26, ''Beethoven Études'', WoO 31, '' Variations on the name "Abegg"'', Op. 1, '' Fantasiestücke'', Op. 12. Glor, 2011 * Robert Schumann - ''

Carnaval Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

'', Op.9, '' Symphonic Études'', Op. 13. Glor, 2012 * Mikhail Kollontay - Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 45. Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 53. Moscow Radio, 2015 * Johann Sebastian Bach - ''

Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of in ...

'', Book I. Major, 2015

References

External links

Elena Kuschnerova web site

Elena Kuschnerova youtube channel

Genealogy on Pianists Corner

Playlist on Pianists Corner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuschnerova, Elena 1959 births Living people Moscow Conservatory alumni 20th-century classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists German classical pianists German women pianists Jewish classical pianists Russian classical pianists Russian women pianists Soviet classical pianists German people of Russian-Jewish descent Russian emigrants to Germany Women classical pianists 20th-century women pianists 21st-century women pianists