BERMAN, BORIS (b 1948 )"Cage is served remarkably well in his goal by Boris Berman...the performance of these sonatasdevelops over the course of these nineteen pieces a continuity that takes holdof our imagination." Pianist magazine on Boris Berman's Naxos recording of Cage's Music for Prepared Piano.
Born in Moscow, Boris Berman studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Lev Oborin and graduated with distinction as both pianist and harpsichordist. He performed extensively throughout the Soviet Union as a recitalist and appeared as guest soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Moscow Philharmonic and the Moscow Chamber orchestras.
In 1973, Boris Berman left a flourishing career in the Soviet Union to emigrate to Israel. He quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after keyboard performers, as well as one of the country's more influential musical personalities. He now resides chiefly in the United States.
Boris Berman was the founding director of the Music Spectrum concert series in Israel (1975-84) and of the Yale Music Spectrum series in the USA (1984-1997). These concert series were hailed by the critics for the inventiveness of their programming.
Mr. Berman is an active performer of chamber music. He has appeared in numerous concerts and festivals with such artists and groups as Misha Maisky, Heinz Holliger, Aurele Nicolet, Shlomo Mintz, Gyorgy Pauk, Ralph Kirshbaum, Frans Helmerson, Natalia Gutman, the Tokyo Quartet, the Vermeer Quartet and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble.
A dedicated teacher of international stature, Boris Berman has served on the faculties of the world's finest schools, such as Indiana (Bloomington), Boston, Brandeis and Tel Aviv universities. Currently, he heads the Piano Department at the Yale School of Music. He also conducts master classes throughout the world. He was the founding director of the Yale Summer Piano Institute (1990-92) and of the International Summer Piano Institute in Hong Kong (1995-97).
Mr Berman's ability to spot young talent and his commitment to nurture the same have led to him being invited to join jury panels at various national and international competitions, such as those in Leeds, in Dublin and at the Artur Rubinstein Competition in Tel-Aviv.
In 2000, the Yale University Press published Professor Berman's Notes from the Pianist's Bench in which the author draws on his vast experience as a performer and teacher to explore issues of piano technique and musical interpretation.
Boris Berman has recorded widely. For Naxos, he has produced two widely acclaimed discs of John Cage's music. His recording for Naxos American Classics of the Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano gained a five-star rating both in Classic CD and BBC Music magazines. His second volume of Cage piano music was also well received, the American Record Guide commenting that: " Berman is clearly as much a master of Cage's anti-piano as he is of the real thing."
November, 2001
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