Mikhaïl Rudy

An artist of great creativity and charisma, Mikhail Rudy enthuses audiences worldwide with his profound musicality and extraordinary virtuosity. He was born in Russia where he studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Jacob Flier. After winning First Prize at the Marguerite Long Competition in Paris, he decided to settle in France.

It is significant that Rudy's Western debut was a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich and Isaac Stern. Together, they created a synthesis between East and West, a concept which Rudy himself continues to sustain in his programmes and in the essence of his music making.

Mikhail Rudy now leads a high level international career, having been invited to perform with many orchestras worldwide: an American debut with the Cleveland Orchestra/Maazel; an invitation to the Salzburg Easter Festival with Karajan; a Proms London debut with the London Symphony Orchestra/Tilson Thomas and a performance of the Schubert-Liszt Wanderer Fantasie with the Berlin Philharmonic/Jansons at Waldbühne.

Since his debut in Paris with Paul Paray, Rudy has regularly performed with orchestras in France, where he remains a very popular artist. He also frequently visits his native Russia, where he is often invited to play with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic and the principal orchestras in Moscow.

Rudy appears at major festivals such as Berlin, Vienna, London Proms, Tanglewood, Edinburgh, Piano Ruhr or La Roque d’Anthéron…

His wide versatility has led him to put together several multi media programmes, which have attracted some renowned theatres :

Pictures at an exhibition by Mussorgsky with a synchronized animated film of Kandinsky’s sketches for the Bauhaus in 1928.

Metamorphosis : Janacek solo pieces with a synchronized animated film by the Quay Brothers on the theme of Kafka’s Metamorphosis.

Petrushka by Stravinski together with a film by Anthony Wilkinson featuring dancers and puppets from UK Little Angel Theatre.

Double Dream : innovative programme for two pianos with great jazz pianist Misha Alperin, consisting of rewritten and improvised compositions of classical repertoire.

Mikhail Rudy’s passion for writing led to his first book : The Novel of a Pianist in 2008.

Rudy’s many recordings on EMI Classics include: Rachmaninov’s complete piano concertos with the St Petersburg Philharmonic/Jansons (Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros); Scriabin (Grand Prix Académie Charles Cros); Shostakovich concerti with the London Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic/Jansons (Der Schallplatten Kritik Price).

On stage :

“Rudy tops the list of pianists who tackle the Rachmaninoff” (Washington Post)                                    

“… the poetic playing of the buccaneering pianist made for exciting, edge-of-the-seat listening” (The Glasgow Herald) (Mozart concerto KV 467)