Audio links
Markus Groh F. Liszt - Totentanz, S. 126 (LW H8)
Consistently cited for his „sound imagination“ and astonishing power, Markus Groh has confirmed his place among the finest pianists in the world today. Sharing the same birthday with Alfred Brendel, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Maurizio Pollini, he has proven himself worthy of their company. He has made stunning debuts with both the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. (Brahms Concerto No. 1 in D Minor) and the Cleveland Orchestra (Brahms Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat). In the words of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, „...Groh proved exceptionally well-suited to the giant task of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2. Not for a second did Groh lose his cool. Instead, he devoured the piece with sparing gestures and the apparent ease of a complete virtuoso.“
Mr. Groh has also appeared with the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Colorado, Detroit, Florida, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Louisville, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, among others. Outside the U.S., engagements include the Auckland Philharmonia, Bamberg Symphony, Beijing Symphony, Berlin Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Hague Residentie Orkest, Helsinki Philharmonic, London Symphony, Malmø Symphony, MDR Orchestra at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, New Japan Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Osaka Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, SWR Orchestra (Stuttgart), and the Warsaw Philharmonic.
Earlier seasons included highly successful debuts with the Cincinnati Symphony, Houston Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, and a collaboration with the Tokyo String Quartet at the 92nd Street Y in New York. Among the conductors with whom Mr. Groh has collaborated are Jesus Lopez Cobos, Andreas Delfs, Ivan Fischer, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Marek Janowski, Neeme Järvi, Fabio Luisi, Ludwig Morlot, Kent Nagano, Jonathan Nott, David Robertson, Kwame Ryan and Stefan Sanderling, to name a few.
A spellbinding recitalist, Markus Groh reveals shapes, textures and colors that one seldom hears in live performance. Critics agree: „Groh is a great pianist.“ [Toronto Star]; „...a superb recital.“ [New York Times]; „A new star in the pianistic firmament!“ [Neue Zürcher Zeitung]. Recently, Mr. Groh has appeared in recital at the Friends of Chamber Music Denver, Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, Vancouver Recital Society, and at The Frick Collection in New York. Chamber music activities have included performances with Claudio Bohorquez, Julia Fischer, Maximilian Hornung, Daishin Kashimoto, Albrecht Mayer, Paul Meyer, Andreas Ottensamer, Boris Pergamenschikow, Heinrich Schiff, Akiko Suwanai, Radovan Vlatkovic and Tabea Zimmermann, with ensembles like the Alban Berg Quartet, the Artemis Quartet and the Kuss Quartet, as well as Lieder Recitals with the legendary Peter Schreier.
Widely acclaimed for his interpretations of Liszt, an all-Liszt CD (including the Totentanz and B Minor Sonata) was released by AVIE in 2006. Showered with rave reviews, it was also named "Editor's Choice" in Gramophone Magazine. An all-Brahms CD was released by AVIE in June of 2008. Other recordings include a CD of Debussy, Prokofiev, and Britten cello sonatas with Claudio Bohorquez on Berlin Classics and a CD of Liszt's Totentanz with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Fabio Luisi on Cascavelle.
A frequent guest at international festivals such as Grant Park, Festival Cultural de Mayo (Mexico), La Folle Journée, Ruhr, Ludwigsburg, Bad Kissingen, and Schubertiade (Austria), Mr. Groh is the founder and artistic director of the Bebersee Festival near Berlin. He has appeared frequently on radio and television in Germany, Spain, Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Japan (NHK), Mexico and the United States (NPR).
Markus Groh was born on the 5th of January 1970 in southern Germany. He was a student of Professor Konrad Richter in Stuttgart and Professor Hans Leygraf in Berlin and Salzburg. He gained immediate world attention after winning First Prize at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Brussels in 1995, the first German to do so.
DEC/2019
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