Nicolas Namoradze came to international attention in 2018 upon winning the triennial Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary, Canada—the largest piano prize in the world.

For his Steinway label debut, Namoradze performs works by Schumann as well as his own compositions. 

On January 7, 2022 STEINWAY & SONS releases Arabesque - Piano Music of Schumann and Namoradze (STNS 30112) performed by pianist Nicolas Namoradze.

As an introduction to these recordings Namoradze writes: "This album presents some of my reflections on the work of Robert Schumann, from both pianistic and compositional viewpoints. The program is centered on two arabesques, and the structure of the recital is itself reminiscent of an arabesque-like texture, interleaving Schumann’s work with my own. The opening sunrise of Schumann’s Songs of Dawn is followed by a pair of arabesques, Schumann’s work exerting an influence on aspects of the formal structure of my piece of the same name. Two considerably more virtuosic and extroverted selections complete the program: Schumann’s monumental Humoreske, followed by three of my piano etudes."

“Namoradze, a true Renaissance man, is set to become one of the truly important artists of his generation.”

— Emanuel Ax

 

“A terrific pianist with all the colouristic and stylistic attributes one could wish for allied to a formidable technique.”

— Gramophone

 

“There is a grave tenderness in Namoradze’s playing of the opening piece… In Schumann’s Arabeske he captures its open-hearted charm. Namoradze’s own Arabesque…is ravishingly beautiful.”

— International Piano

 

“Namoradze's interpretation of Schumann’s Humoreske is lively, sensitive, and individual...His interpretations stood up well in direct comparison with fine recordings by Alicia de Larrocha, Wilhelm Kempff, and Michael Endres.”

— American Record Guide

"What proves beguiling here lies in Namoradze’s sense of touch, easily suggestive of the magical dynamics achieved by former greats, like Benno Moiseiwitsch, in Schumann’s music."

—Fanfare

 

ALBUM CREDITS

Arabesque / Nicolas Namoradze • STNS 30112

Release Date: 01/07/2022

Recorded March 1-3, 2019 at Steinway Hall, New York City
Producer: Jon Feidner
Engineer: Lauren Sclafani
Assistant Engineer: Melody Nieun Hwang
Production Assistant: Renée Oakford
Mixing and Mastering: Daniel Shores

Executive Producer: Jon Feidner
Art Direction: Jackie Fugere
Design: Cover to Cover Design, Anilda Carrasquillo
Cover Photo: Nathan Elson
Piano Technician: Lauren Sclafani
Piano: Steinway Model D #607799 (New York)

About the Artist

Pianist and composer Nicolas Namoradze, whose performances have been hailed by critics as “sparkling… sensitive and coloristic” (New York Times) and “simply gorgeous” (Wall Street Journal), came to international attention in 2018 upon winning the triennial Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary, Canada—the largest piano prize in the world. His often sold-out recitals around the world have been met with universal critical acclaim, and his recent album releases have received extraordinary accolades and awards, including the Choc de Classica, Record of the Month in Limelight, Instrumental Disc of the Month in BBC Music Magazine, Editor’s Choice in Gramophone and Editor’s Choice in Presto Classical.

“I’m not often lost for words, but Nicolas Namoradze’s recital almost defeated me”, wrote Michael Church in International Piano Magazine following his recent Wigmore Hall debut, declaring the performance “astonishing”. The recital was also chosen as Editor’s Favorite of the Month in BBC Music Magazine. Following his sold-out Carnegie debut at Zankel Hall in New York, Roman Markowicz in ConcertoNet called Namoradze “an artist representing that rare breed, a thinking virtuoso” and “a pianist who proved that, once in a while, the distinguished members of the jury make a good choice and select a winner who plays like a true artist.”

His current activities include recitals at concert halls including the Konzerthaus Berlin, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Boston’s Gardner Museum, New York’s 92nd Street Y and Tokyo Toppan Hall; appearances at Tanglewood, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Toronto Summer Music, Miami International Piano Festival, Telavi Music Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Tbilisi Piano Fest and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival; and performances with orchestras including the Budapest Festival Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Winnipeg Symphony and Ottawa National Arts Centre orchestras, with conductors such as Iván Fischer, Karina Canellakis, Ken-David Masur and Daniele Rustioni. Upon the invitation of Sir András Schiff, Namoradze is presenting recitals at leading venues around Europe including deSingel Antwerp, Munich Allerheiligenhofkirche, Orpheus Stiftung Zurich and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in the “Building Bridges” series.

A Gramophone “One to Watch” and BBC Music Magazine “Rising Star,” Namoradze was recently named among WQXR’s “20 for 20: Artists to Watch,” a list that “includes long-time heroes, established favorites and newcomers set for stardom who are redefining what classical music can be.”

Namoradze is the author of Ligeti’s Macroharmonies, a book published by Springer in the Computational Music Sciences series. The work is based on his doctoral dissertation, which explores the late etudes of Ligeti through a novel lens of statistical-graphical analysis and discusses questions regarding listeners’ perception of stability in musical texture. His doctoral work received a distinction for exceptional achievement with a nomination for the Barry Brook Award.

Highlights of his activities as a composer include commissions and performances by leading artists and ensembles including Ken-David Masur, Tessa Lark, Metropolis Ensemble and the Momenta, Verona and Barkada Quartets, at festivals such as the Chelsea Music Festival, Honens Festival, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Klavier-Festival Ruhr, among others. He has also composed and produced a number of film soundtracks, including Walking Painting by Fabienne Verdier and Nuit d’opéra à Aix, a short film made in association with the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. His compositions are published by Muse Press.

Namoradze was born in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1992 and grew up in Budapest, Hungary. After completing his undergraduate studies in Budapest, Vienna, and Florence, he moved to New York where he received his master’s degree from The Juilliard School and his doctorate from the CUNY Graduate Center, where he held the Graduate Center Fellowship. His teachers and mentors have included Emanuel Ax, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Zoltán Kocsis, Matti Raekallio, András Schiff and Elisso Virsaladze in piano, and John Corigliano in composition. For several years Namoradze served on the faculty of Queens College, where he taught chamber music, composition and music history. He now pursues postgraduate studies in neuropsychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College, London, where his research interests include the effects of mental practice and mindfulness on musical performance.

About Steinway & Sons label

The STEINWAY & SONS music label produces exceptional albums of solo piano music across all genres. The label — a division of STEINWAY & SONS, maker of the world’s finest pianos — is a perfect vessel for producing the finest quality recordings by some of the most talented pianists in the world.