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.
Orchestral highlights of the 2009/10 season include two performances at the Tanglewood Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under James Levine and Michael Tilson Thomas; an appearance at the Lucerne Festival with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen, followed by concerts with the Philharmonia and Christoph von Dohnányi performing both Brahms piano concertos; multiple concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta and the Lucerne Academy Orchestra with Pierre Boulez; Artiste Etoile at the Lucerne Festival; a recital tour throughout Japan; a European tour with the NewYork Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert and subscription concerts with the Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Cleveland orchestras. Recitals and duos in 2009/10 include appearances at New York’s Carnegie Hall, both solo and with Magdalena Kozena; a recital tour through ten US cities and performances in Rome, Vienna and Warsaw. Mr. Bronfman made a recent live television appearance with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Mr. Bronfman has won widespread praise for his solo, chamber and orchestral recordings. He won a Grammy award in 1997 for his recording of the three Bartok Piano Concertos 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 Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, a recital disc, ‘Perspectives’, which complements 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 Mork, and the Tönhalle Orchestra Zürich under David Zinman for the Arte Nova/BMG label.
Mr. Bronfman was born in Tashkent, in the Soviet Union, on April 10, 1958 and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973. 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 ... 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.
Recently he appeared as the featured guest with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle at their annual outdoor summer concert at Waldbuene in a program titled “Russian Evening” televised live throughout Europe.
Summer 2009 includes two appearances with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Festival. As “Artiste Etoile” in residence at the Lucerne Festival he appears with a wide range of repertoire in recital, chamber music and with the London Philharmonia under Essa-Pekka Salonen, the Lucerne Academy Orchestra and Pierre Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta.
Highlights of the 2009-10 season include subscriptions with the Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Cleveland Orchestras. Following concerts with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Alan Gilbert he will join them on tour in Europe in winter 2010. He will appear in London again with the Philharmonia under Christoph von Dohnányi playing both Brahms Concerti for a live recording on the orchestra’s label.
A recital tour in Japan will continue with concerts in Rome, Vienna, Warsaw, North America and culminate at Carnegie Hall where he will also appear in duo with Magdalena Kozena.
As an “On Location” Artist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the 2008-09 season, Mr. Bronfman appeared in two subscription concerts as well as a tour of the Far East with that orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen in addition to a chamber music concert with the orchestra’s musicians. Other highlights of Mr. Bronfman’s 2008-09 season included a duo recital tour with Emanuel Ax including performances at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Disney Hall, and Carnegie Hall; and a solo recital tour traversing the US. North American engagements included opening the 08-09 season with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas and with the New York Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel, as well as performing with the Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Montreal, and Toronto Symphonies, among others. In Europe, he appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra, Orchestre Nationale de France, the Berlin Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.
As a “Perspectives” artist at Carnegie Hall for the 2007-08 season, Mr. Bronfman partnered with some of the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors including the Vienna Philharmonic with Valery Gergiev, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Mariss Jansons, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra with James Levine, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Within the scope of the seven concerts, he played repertoire ranging from solo piano, chamber and orchestral by composers from Mozart to Prokofiev and Berg to Dalbavie. Other 07/08 season engagements included a tour of Japan with the Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev and the west coast premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s piano concerto with Salonen conducting, released in spring 2009 on Deutsche Grammophon.
Mr. Bronfman appears regularly with such celebrated ensembles as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, London’s Philharmonia, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He has worked with an equally 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 Aspen, Bad Kissingen, Blossom, Hollywood Bowl, Lucerne, Mann Music Center, Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Salzburg, Saratoga, Tanglewood, and Verbier festivals.
Mr. Bronfman 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.
Mr. Bronfman has won widespread praise for his solo, chamber and orchestral recordings. He won a Grammy award in 1997 for his recording of the three Bartok Piano Concertos with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His discography also includes the complete Prokofiev Piano Sonatas; all five of the Prokofiev Piano Concertos, 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 Mork, 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 Bartok Violin Sonatas. Coinciding with the release of the “Fantasia 2000” soundtrack, Mr. Bronfman was featured on his own Shostakovich album, performing the two Piano Concertos 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 Mork 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 many other artists.
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.
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).
Last updated October 2009. Contact Opus 3 Artists for the most up-to-date version.
