Yefim Bronfman is widely regarded as one of the most talented virtuoso pianists performing today. His commanding technique and exceptional lyrical gifts have won him consistent critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences worldwide, whether for his solo recitals, his prestigious orchestral engagements or his rapidly growing catalogue of recordings.
Mr. Bronfman’s 2011/12 US season begins with the Chicago Symphony’s opening Gala conducted by Ricardo Muti followed by return engagements to the orchestras in Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, OR, Kansas City and a residency with the Cleveland Orchestra in Miami, Cleveland and New York focusing on the concerti and chamber music of Brahms. A recital tour in winter will culminate with Carnegie Hall followed by the world premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s concerto commissioned for him by the New York Philharmonic with whom he will tour the west coast in the spring.
In Europe he will complete a two-season project of the three Bartók concerti with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen in London, Spain, Brussels and give recitals in Amsterdam, Vienna, Frankfurt, Milan and Lucerne. In partnership with Emmanuel Pahud he will visit Spain, Turkey, Denmark and London where he will return in the spring for concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas followed by a tour with the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Israel Philharmonic he will join the orchestra in two orchestral concerts and in a solo recital in December.
Widely praise for his solo, chamber and orchestral recordings. He was nominated for GRAMMY® Award in 2009 for his recording of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s piano concerto with Salonen conducting, released on Deutsche Grammophon and won a GRAMMY® Award in 1997 for his recording of the three Bartók Piano Concerti with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His most recent releases are Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 with Mariss Jansons and the Bayerischer Rundfunk, a recital disc, ‘Perspectives’, complementing Mr. Bronfman’s designation as a Carnegie Hall ‘Perspectives’ artist for the 2007-08 season, and recordings of all the Beethoven piano concerti as well as the Triple Concerto together with violinist Gil Shaham, cellist Truls Mørk, and the Tönhalle Orchestra Zürich under David Zinman for the Arte Nova/BMG label.
Born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union on 10 April 1958, Yefim Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, where he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro and the Curtis Institute, and with Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher and Rudolf Serkin.
Yefim Bronfman became an American citizen in July 1989 ... read full bio
Yefim Bronfman is widely regarded as one of the most talented virtuoso pianists performing today. His commanding technique and exceptional lyrical gifts have won him consistent critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences worldwide, whether for his solo recitals, his prestigious orchestral engagements or his rapidly growing catalogue of recordings.
Mr. Bronfman’s 2011/12 US season begins with the Chicago Symphony’s opening Gala conducted by Ricardo Muti followed by return engagements to the orchestras in Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, OR, Kansas City and a residency with the Cleveland Orchestra in Miami, Cleveland and New York focusing on the concerti and chamber music of Brahms. A recital tour in winter will culminate with Carnegie Hall followed by the world premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s concerto commissioned for him by the New York Philharmonic with whom he will tour the west coast in the spring.
In Europe he will complete a two-season project of the three Bartók concerti with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen in London, Spain, Brussels and give recitals in Amsterdam, Vienna, Frankfurt, Milan and Lucerne. In partnership with Emmanuel Pahud he will visit Spain, Turkey, Denmark and London where he will return in the spring for concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas followed by a tour with the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Israel Philharmonic he will join the orchestra in two orchestral concerts and in a solo recital in December.
His 2010/11 US season highlights included recitals in Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as performances of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto with the orchestras of Houston, Cincinnati and Saint Louis and Brahms’ second with the orchestras of Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. He also made return concerto appearances in Seattle, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal and Washington. With long-time friend and collaborator Pinchas Zukerman, he appeared in duo recital in Princeton, Kansas City, Chicago, Boston and Carnegie Hall.
In Europe he toured with the Vienna Philharmonic playing the concerto written for him by Esa-Pekka Salonen. In partnership with Berlin’s Staatskapelle and Daniel Barenboim all three Bartók concerti were again featured in programs in Berlin, Vienna and Paris. Return engagements in Europe included the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony, Frankfurt Radio and Munich Philharmonic.
Orchestral highlights of the 2009/10 season included two performances at the Tanglewood Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under James Levine and Michael Tilson Thomas and the New York Philharmonic’s first European tour with Music Director Alan Gilbert. As “Artiste Etoile” in residence at the Lucerne Festival he appeared with a wide range of repertoire in recital, chamber music and with the London Philharmonia under Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Lucerne Academy Orchestra and Pierre Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta. In summer 2009, he was the featured soloist at the Berlin Philharmonic’s annual Waldbühne concert conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and televised live throughout Europe. Similarly, in summer 2010, he soloed with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Franz Welser-Möst at their televised outdoor concert from Schönbrunn Palace. Both performances are now available on commercial DVDs.
Mr. Bronfman works regularly with an illustrious group of conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnányi, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yuri Temirkanov, Franz Welser-Möst, and David Zinman. Summer engagements have regularly taken him to the major festivals of Europe and the US.
He has also given numerous solo recitals in the leading halls of North America, Europe and the Far East, including acclaimed debuts at Carnegie Hall in 1989 and Avery Fisher Hall in 1993. In 1991 he gave a series of joint recitals with Isaac Stern in Russia, marking Mr. Bronfman’s first public performances there since his emigration to Israel at age 15. That same year he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, one of the highest honors given to American instrumentalists. In 2010 he was honored as the recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane prize in piano performance from Northwestern University.
Widely praised for his solo, chamber and orchestral recordings he was awarded a GRAMMY® in 1997 for his recording of the three Bartók Piano Concerti with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His discography also includes the complete Prokofiev Piano Sonatas; all five of the Prokofiev Piano Concerti, nominated for both GRAMMY® and Gramophone Awards; and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3. His most recent releases are Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 with Mariss Jansons and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, a recital disc, ‘Perspectives’, to complement Mr. Bronfman’s designation as a Carnegie Hall ‘Perspectives’ artist for the 2007-08 season, and recordings of all the Beethoven piano concerti as well as the Triple Concerto together with violinist Gil Shaham, cellist Truls Mørk, and the Tönhalle Orchestra Zürich under David Zinman for the Arte Nova/BMG label.
His recordings with Isaac Stern include the Brahms Violin Sonatas from their aforementioned Russian tour, a cycle of the Mozart Sonatas for Violin and Piano, and the Bartók Violin Sonatas. Coinciding with the release of the “Fantasia 2000” soundtrack, Mr. Bronfman was featured on his own Shostakovich album, performing the two Piano Concerti with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting and the Piano Quintet. In 2002, Sony Classical released his two-piano recital (with Emanuel Ax) of works by Rachmaninoff, which was followed in March 2005 by their second recording of works by Brahms. 2008 saw the release of the Tchaikovsky Trio in A minor with partners Gil Shaham and Truls Mørk and a Schubert/ Mozart disc with the Zukerman Chamber Players
A devoted chamber music performer, Mr. Bronfman has collaborated with the Emerson, Cleveland, Guarneri and Juilliard quartets, as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has also played chamber music with Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Lynn Harrell, Shlomo Mintz, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Pinchas Zukerman and tours regularly in duo with Emanuel Ax.
Yefim Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, and made his international debut two years later with Zubin Mehta and the Montreal Symphony. He made his New York Philharmonic debut in May l978, his Washington recital debut in March l98l at the Kennedy Center and his New York recital debut in January 1982 at the 92nd Street Y.
Mr. Bronfman was born in Tashkent, in the Soviet Union, on April 10, 1958. In Israel he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro, and the Curtis Institute, and with Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher, and Rudolf Serkin.
Yefim Bronfman became an American citizen in July 1989.
Last updated July 2011. Contact Opus 3 Artists for the most up-to-date version.
Audio clips:
Dichotomie: I. Mécanisme performed by Yefim Bronfman and Piano Concerto: Movement I from the album Salonen performed by Yefim Bronfman, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Esa-Pekka Salonen courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon (Universal).
