Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Cesar Franck, Vladimir Viardo :: Vladimir Viardo: Organ/ Piano Transcriptions

Vladimir Viardo Born in the Caucasus Mountalns near the Black Sea, Russian pianist Vladimir Viardo traveled to Moscow at the age ot fourteen to further his musical formation. Once in the capital, he was taken to the family of Lev Naumov (Custodian of the Heinrich Neuhaus methods that are credited with producing the extraordinary twentieth-century Russian keyboard masters, Gilels and Richter), with whom he later studied at the Moscow Conservatory. During his six years of study he was tenured as a soloist by The Moscow Philharmonia, and after receiving his doctorate, went on to the position of assistant professor with Naumov at the Conservatory where he is associated to this day. In 1971 he was awarded the Grand Prix and the Prix du Prince Rainier in the Marguérite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition of Paris, and two years later was the top prize winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, subsequently receiving contracts for some seventy recital and symphony orchestra appearances in major US cities. Then, despite having already launched an impressive global career, Mr. Viardo's travel visa was mysteriously revoked, resulting in his virtual imprisonment behind the iron curtain for fourteen years. During his confinement he developed new horizons in artistic achievement, and enlarged his repertoire, which eventually included thirty-seven concertos. With the era of "Glasnost" and "Perestroika," Vladimir Viardo returned to public engagements in Germany and in the US, and was quickly offered a tour and recording contract with the Dallas Symphony. As Artist-In-Residence at the University of Nor1h Texas, Mr. Viardo established the Viardo Fellows Foundation, which is committed to providing musical training of the highest artistic quality. Mr. Viardo's tours have taken him to leading Nonh American and European cities, as Well as to Asia, South Africa, Israel, and to Central and South America, where he has appeared as soloist with such conductors as Mehta, Maazel, Penderecki, and Mata. His recordings have Included the works of Nicolai Medtner, Lutoslawski with the Polish National Radio Orchestra, and a SONY release honoring Penderecki's sixtieth birthday. Mr. Viardo's first Pro Piano Records release of Bach-Liszt and Franck-Viardo Organ Piano Transcriptions (PPR 2245O9) received critical acclaim internationally and continues its worldwide popularity.