Behzod Abduraimov
Behzod Abduraimov | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 11, 1990 Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
| Occupation | Classical pianist |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for | Winning the London International Piano Competition (2009), international concert pianist |
Behzod Abduraimov (born 11 September 1990) is a distinguished pianist from Uzbekistan. He studied under Stanislav Ioudenitch, the gold medalist of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, at the International Center for Music (ICM) at Park University. The Independent has acclaimed him as "the most perfectly accomplished pianist of his generation." Abduraimov’s international career was launched after winning the London International Piano Competition in 2009 at just 18 years old. His performances encompass solo recitals, chamber music, and appearances as a soloist with prestigious orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Manfred Honeck, Vasily Petrenko, James Gaffigan, Jakub Hrůša, Thomas Dausgaard, and Vladimir Jurowski.
Early life and education
Abduraimov was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and began piano lessons at the age of five, initially guided by his mother who is also a pianist, followed by studies with Tamara Popovich. At fifteen, he became a pupil of Stanislav Ioudenitch at Park University's International Center for Music (ICM), where he has held the position of artist-in-residence since 2014.
Career
In 2009, Abduraimov claimed victory at the London International Piano Competition with a performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The Daily Telegraph described his interpretation as “the most enthralling roller-coaster ride of a Prokofiev third concerto imaginable.” Soon after, he stepped in for Martha Argerich performing with Charles Dutoit and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and toured China with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy. The following year, he won the Kissinger Klavierolymp competition and secured representation with HarrisonParrott management as well as a recording contract with Decca Classics.
Abduraimov has performed with leading orchestras globally, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic. His collaborations extend to eminent conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Manfred Honeck, Vasily Petrenko, James Gaffigan, Jakub Hrůša, Thomas Dausgaard, and Vladimir Jurowski. Among his chamber music partners are cellist Truls Mørk and mentor Stanislav Ioudenitch. He has also appeared at notable festivals including Aspen Music Festival, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, and Vail Valley Music Festival.
His debut recording for Decca in 2012 showcased Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6 along with pieces by Liszt and Saint-Saëns; this album earned the Choc de Classica and Diapason Découverte accolades. The follow-up release in 2014 featured Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 performed with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI conducted by Juraj Valčuha.
In July 2014 Abduraimov substituted for Yefim Bronfman in Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Later that year he also replaced Leila Josefowicz to perform Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. He returned to perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the LA Phil in August 2017 and again stepped in during July 2018 for Khatia Buniatishvili to play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.
At age 26 in 2016 Abduraimov made his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium presenting works by Schubert, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Liszt as well as Bach transcriptions by Cortot and Busoni. Prior to this he had performed in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in 2015 and appeared with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev in a concert broadcast on Medici.tv. That same year marked his debut at the BBC Proms performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Gergiev; The Guardian praised this performance as "glitteringly idiomatic." He returned to the Proms in 2017 playing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 alongside the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Thomas Søndergård.