Profile

Renowned for combining expressive originality with clarity and precision, Krystian Zimerman has taken the possibilities of piano performance to new heights. Born in Poland, Zimerman began studying piano seriously at the age of seven, winning the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition at the age of eighteen. The following year he made his recording debut. Throughout his career, he has recorded and performed with many of the greatest conductors, including Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death (1999), he formed the Polish Festival Orchestra, bringing together talented Polish musicians to focus on the performance of Chopin’s work. Zimerman’s extraordinary artistry is inextricably linked to his deep technical understanding of his instrument. He knows every facet of the piano’s mechanism and believes that, "pianists should be interested in their instruments." He tunes and assembles his own pianos and has a thorough knowledge of their mechanisms and acoustics, which supports his exquisite and delicate playing. He combines his natural talent and technical skills with his desire to understand the great composers’ works; reading their letters, searching for clues that unlock the problems that musicians sometimes face. After long periods of intense study and reflection he will then record - most recently, Beethoven’s complete piano concertos to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, released to great critical acclaim.

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Krystian Zimerman is considered to be one of the finest pianists of our time, renowned for combining expressive originality with clarity and precision, taking the possibilities of piano performance to new heights.
Zimerman grew up in a household where musicians, led by his father, would regularly gather to enjoy playing music together. He started to play the piano from the age of five and studied in earnest with the Polish pianist, Andrzej Jasinski from at seven. Prodigiously talented, he even appeared on Polish television at age six, performing some of his own compositions.
In 1975, when he was just eighteen years old, he won the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, something he still can’t quite believe, and the following year he made his recording debut with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label.
His collaborations with many of the greatest classical music conductors, including Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa have, over many years, created exceptional music - both live and recorded – as well as influencing Zimerman himself; “each conductor changed my life.”
He describes conductor and composer Bernstein, "the most interesting musician I have met in my life", and their close fifteen-year friendship continued even after Bernstein’s death, with Zimerman performing Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety, in major cities around the world in 2018 to mark what would have been his hundredth birthday.
In 1998, he formed the Polish Festival Orchestra, playing thirty-nine concerts in major cities globally to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death (1999). Composed of musicians of Polish origin, he was deeply involved with raising funds and finding instruments so it could tour, showcasing one of the composers that Zimerman is passionate about and one whose work he has profound knowledge of.
In his recording career, he has always been deliberate and decerning, only going into the studio after a long period of intense study and reflection. He builds his understanding of the great composers’ works; reading their letters, searching for clues that unlock the problems that musicians sometimes face.
“We are playing composers like Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Stravinsky, all these composers had completely different instruments – completely.” He has an extensive knowledge and understanding of pianos – his own and those used over the centuries and suggests that, “pianists should be interested in their instruments.” His eye for detail extends to the acoustics of concert halls, adjusting his piano to the acoustic landscape of each particular hall – ensuring that his performance will sound the best possible.
In 2020, he and conductor Simon Rattle recorded Beethoven’s complete Piano Concertos to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, released to great critical acclaim.