Kissin, Evgeny (Igorevich)

Kissin, Evgeny (Igorevich), phenomenal Russian pianist; b. Moscow, Oct. 10, 1971. His mother was a piano teacher who nurtured his amazing musical talent. When he was 6, he was enrolled at the Gnessin Music School for Gifted Children in Moscow, where his only teacher was Anna Pavlovna Kantor. She was to remain his mentor well into adulthood. At the age of 10, Kissin made his debut as a soloist playing Mozart’s D Minor Concerto, K.466, with the Ulyanovska Orch. When he was 11, he made his recital debut in Moscow in May 1983. Following a recital at the House of Composers in Moscow and an engagement with the Leningrad Phil., Kissin made an extraordinary appearance as soloist in both Chopin concertos with the Moscow State Phil, under Kitaenko’s direction in March 1984 at the age of 12. Engagements in Eastern Europe soon followed, and in 1986 he toured Japan with the Moscow Virtuosi under Spivakov’s direction. In 1987 he made his debut in the West at the Berlin Festival. He then toured Europe with Spivakov and the Moscow Virtuosi in 1988. His appearance as soloist in the Tchaikovsky 1^st Piano Concerto with Karajan and the Berlin Phil, at a New Year’s Eve Concert in 1988 brought him international acclaim. On Sept. 20, 1990, he made his U.S. debut as soloist in Chopin’s 1^st Piano Concerto with the N.Y. Phil, under Mehta’s direction. His U.S. recital debut followed at N.Y.’s Carnegie Hall on Sept. 30, 1990, which left both audience and critics alike astonished at his digital velocity and propulsive dexterity. In 1991 he made his first tour of the U.S. to enormous critical acclaim. In subsequent years, he appeared as a recitalist in many leading music centers and as a soloist with most of the foremost orchs. of the world. His appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1995 was recorded live and broadcast to millions by PBS. In 1997 he became the first musician ever invited to play a solo recital at the London Promenade Concerts. While Kissin is acknowledged as a master of the Romantic repertoire, he has also revealed a command for works from the Classical era.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire