Irina Lankova (born 11 September 1977) is a Russian-born Belgian

concert 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 ...

Early life and education

Lankova is graduated with highest honours from

Gnessin State Musical College The Gnessin State Musical College (russian: link=no, Государственный музыкальный колледж имени Гнесиных) and Gnesins Russian Academy of Music (russian: Российская академия музык� ...

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 ...

and from

Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...

. She studied with great pianists of Russian School such as Evgeny Moguilevsky (himself a pupil of Heinrich Neuhaus), Irina Temchenko, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and others.

Career

Lankova performs on prestigious stages all over the world such as

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

in New York,

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadin ...

in London, Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,

Salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for th ...

in Paris, Flagey in Brussels, Cidades das Artes in Rio and many others. She is invited to play in many international festivals: Piano Folies Touquet, Académie d'Eté de Nice, Sagra Musicale Umbria, Schiermonnikoog Kamermuziekefestival, Festival de Wallonie, Brussels Summer Festival, Fortissimo d'Orleans, Berlin Summer Festival, etc. Her performances are critically acclaimed for her expressive and poetic interpretations, colorful palette, and rich tone. International critics describe Irina Lankova as a pianist with "genuinely poetic touch" and "infinite palette of colours". After her successful Wigmore Hall debut in 2008, Irina Lankova was invited to join the worldwide piano elite "Steinway Artists". Her signature way of presenting her recitals with short introductions attracts a wide audience "Along with her deep and emotional interpretations, she gives short introductions to the music... and creates something less conventional where everyone feels welcomed", International Piano Magazine. Her albums dedicated to

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

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 ...

, Chopin and

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

are highly acclaimed by critics for their "great sensitivity" (Pianiste), "very personal narrative" (La Libre Belgique) and "compelling authority" (The Independent). In March 2021, she released her latest album "Elégie" featuring her favorite pieces by Rachmaninov, Schubert, and Bach. Inspired by other forms of art and always in search of new ways of presenting classical music, Irina Lankova develops innovative creative projects. After many years of working on ''

Goldberg Variations The ''Goldberg Variations'', BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, it is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may also have ...

'' of Bach, she created in 2020 a multimedia project "Goldberg Visions" together with French visual artist Isabelle Françaix, combining music and video. The artist's YouTube channel counts several million views and includes many videos from concerts, home recordings and 'Piano Unveiled' series. Since 2015, she is the artistic director of International Max Festival in Belgium.

Personal life

Lankova is married to a Belgian architect and has two children; she lives in

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant (french: Brabant wallon ; nl, Waals-Brabant ; wa, Roman Payis) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and ...

, Belgium.

Discography

Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

Franz 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 ...

(2004, CD): '' Rachmaninov Preludes Op. 23, Liszt Rapsodie No. 2 with

cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...

by Rachmaninov'' *

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 ...

(2006, CD): ''Sonates No. 2 & No. 9, Pieces Op. 32, Op. 57'' *

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 ...

(2008, CD): '' Sonata No. 3, Ballade No. 1, Scherzo No. 2,

Nocturnes A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French ''nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensemble ...

'' *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

(2013, CD Indésens): '' Drei Klavierstücke D. 946, Piano Sonata D. 959, Impromptu D. 899 No. 3'' * "Caprice" (2015, CD Indésens): with violinist Tatiana Samouil * "Goldberg Visions" (2020, CD):

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 ...

'' * "Elégie" (2021, CD): Rachmaninov, Schubert and Bach

References

External links

*
Irina Lankova
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Irina Lankova
on

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Irina Lankova
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lankova, Irina Aleksandrovna 1977 births Belgian women pianists Russian women pianists Living people Musicians from Moscow 21st-century Belgian pianists 21st-century Russian pianists Women classical pianists 21st-century women pianists