Krystian Zimerman

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Lore & Background

Zimerman was born in Zabrze, Katowice Voivodeship, Polish People's Republic, and started to play the piano at the age of five encouraged by his father, who was also a pianist. He studied at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice under Andrzej Jasiński. In 1973, he won top prize at the Ludwig van Beethoven International Piano Competition in Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia. His international career was launched when he won the 1975 Warsaw International Chopin Piano Competition. He performed with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1976, conducted by Herbert Blomstedt. Arthur Rubinstein invited him to Paris to work with him, which led to a friendship and mentorship that lasted until Rubinstein's death in 1982. Zimerman debuted in the United States with the New York Philharmonic in 1979. Since 1996, he has taught piano at the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland. In 1999, he created the Polish Festival Orchestra to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin's death. Zimerman is best known for his interpretations of Romantic music, but has performed a wide variety of classical pieces and is a supporter of contemporary music. Witold Lutosławski wrote his Piano Concerto for Zimerman, who has recorded it twice. Among his best-known recordings are the concerti of Grieg and Schumann with Herbert von Karajan; the Brahms concerti with Leonard Bernstein; the piano concerti of Chopin, one recording conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini and a later one conducted by himself at the keyboard; the Third, Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos of Beethoven under Bernstein (Zimerman himself led the Vienna Philharmonic from the keyboard in Beethoven's First and Second Concertos); the first and second piano concerti of Rachmaninoff; the piano concerti of Liszt with Seiji Ozawa, the piano concerti of Ravel with Pierre Boulez, and solo piano works by Chopin, Liszt (including one of the most virtuosic performances of the famous Piano Sonata in B minor), Debussy and Schubert. In 2006, Zimerman recorded Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. In 1981, Zimerman moved to Röschenz in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland, where he also became a Swiss citizen with Röschenz as his place of origin. He married Maria (née Drygajło), a violinist, with whom he has two children: Klaudia and Ryszard. He divides his time among family, concerts, and performances of chamber music. Zimerman is an editor of the piano music of Władysław Szpilman for Boosey & Hawkes.

Reader's Guide

Krystian Zimerman's significance lies in his status as one of the preeminent pianists of his generation, marked by his victory at the 1975 International Chopin Piano Competition and his subsequent decades-long career performing with the world's leading orchestras and conductors. His legacy is built on a discography of acclaimed recordings, particularly of Romantic repertoire by Chopin, Brahms, and Beethoven, as well as contemporary works such as Lutosławski's Piano Concerto, written for him. Zimerman's influence extends to pedagogy, having taught piano at the Music Academy in Basel since 1996. His career has also been notable for his public criticism of US policy: on 26 April 2009, Zimerman vowed to his audience at Los Angeles's Walt Disney Concert Hall that, in protest at America's placement of a missile defense shield in Poland, this would be his final appearance in the United States. He had made a similar comment in 2006, stating he would not return until George W. Bush was out of office. As of September 2023 he has not made any further appearances in the United States. Additionally, in incidents in 2001 and 2006, one of his Steinway pianos was completely destroyed and another one damaged by security staff at New York JFK airport. His awards, including the Léonie Sonning Music Prize (1994), Legion of Honour (2005), Order of Polonia Restituta (2013), and Praemium Imperiale (2022), underscore his lasting impact on classical music.

Did You Know?

• Zimerman won top prize at the Ludwig van Beethoven International Piano Competition in Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia in 1973, two years before his Chopin victory.
• Arthur Rubinstein invited Zimerman to Paris to work with him, leading to a friendship and mentorship that lasted until Rubinstein's death in 1982.
• Witold Lutosławski wrote his Piano Concerto specifically for Zimerman, who has recorded it twice.
• In 1999, Zimerman created the Polish Festival Orchestra to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Frédéric Chopin's death.
• In incidents in 2001 and 2006, one of Zimerman's Steinway pianos was completely destroyed and another damaged by security staff at New York JFK airport.