Grigory Sokolov was born in Leningrad (now St Petersburg) on 18 April 1950. He started to play piano at the age of five and, two years later, began studies with Liya Zelikhman at the Central Special School of the Leningrad Conservatory.
Sokolov’s prodigious talent was recognised in 1965 when he won first prize in the Russian National Competition. He made headline news beyond the Soviet Union’s borders the following year when, at 16, he became the youngest musician ever to receive the coveted Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Emil Gilels, chairman of the Tchaikovsky Competition jury, subsequently championed Sokolov’s work.
While Grigory Sokolov undertook major concert tours to the United States and Japan in the 1970s, his artistry evolved and matured away from the international spotlight. His live recordings from Soviet times acquired near-mythical status in the West, evidence of an artist at once entirely individual, like no other, yet nourished by the rich soil of the Russian tradition of piano playing.
Here is an example of Mr. Sokolov’s amazing performances:
