Alexander Kniazev

Alexander Kniazev is the worthy successor of Mstislav Rostropovitch and one of Russia’s leading contemporary cellists. Born in 1961 in Moscow, Alexander Kniazev made his debut in 1978 in Russia, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, USA, Japan, Korea, South America and South Africa. He has performed as a soloist under Evgeny Svetlanov, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Kurt Masur, Yuri Temirkanov, Yuri Bashmet, Vladimir Fedosseyev, Neeme Järvi, AVassily Petrenko, Mikhail Pletnev, Charles Dutoit,, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Vladimir Jurovsky, et Lawrence Foster; with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Helsinki Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France and the NHK Symphony Orchestra among many others. He is a regular guest of the festivals of December Nights in Moscow, White Nights in Saint Petersburg, Folles Journées de Nantes, La Roque d’Anthéron (France), and of the prestigious Tanglewood, Lugano, Amstel Festival of Amsterdam and Salzburg festivals... In chamber music, he plays with Nikolai Lugansky, Boris Berezovsky, Andrei Korobeinikov, Plamena Mangova, Victor Tretiakov, Mario Brunello, Ivan Monighetti , Elena Bashkirova, Vadim Repin, or Jean Guillou with whom he has maintained very close ties for many years. In 1995, Alexandre Kniazev was appointed professor at the Moscow Conservatory and he regularly gives masterclasses in France, Spain and Korea. He also takes part in many international cello competitions as a jury. For his extended discography Alexander Kniazev received many awards (Echo Award...). Alexander Kniazev began his cello studies aged 6 under Alexander Fedorchenko and was admitted to the Moscow Conservatory in 1979. At the same time, he studied the organ under G. Kozlova. He won many international prizes, including the first prize at the Vilnius International Cello Competition in 1977, the second prize at the Moscow Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1990 and, in 1992, the first prize at the Pretoria International Competition. In 1999, he was named “Best musician of the year” in Russia.