Oleg Maisenberg
Born in Odessa, Oleg Maisenberg received his first piano lessons from his mother at the age of five. He completed his studies at the Central Music School Kishinev and at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow (with Alexander Jocheles). In 1967 he won the second prize at the "International Schubert Competition" in Vienna, where in the same year he won the first prize in the competition "Music of the 20th Century" as well. From 1971 to 1980 he regularly appeared with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and other renowned orchestras of the former Soviet Union. In 1981 Oleg Maisenberg emigrated to Vienna, the city that has since become his second home.
Oleg Maisenberg has played solo recitals and has appeared with famous orchestras in many countries throughout the world. Among others he has performed with the Israel Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra Moscow under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnányi, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Neeme Järvi, Yakov Kreizberg, Alain Lombard, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zubin Mehta, Eugene Ormandy, Michel Plasson, Georges Prêtre, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski.
Oleg Maisenberg frequently appears with chamber orchestras, for example the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra New York, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Wiener Virtuosen (members of the Vienna Philharmonic), the Lituanian Chamber Orchestra.
He has devoted much of his time to chamber music, collaborating with such artists as Robert Holl, Hermann Prey, Heinz Holliger, Sabine Meyer, Sir András Schiff, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon. His continuing collaboration with the violinist Gidon Kremer has existed since his early years in Russia. In spring 2007 the two artists celebrated Gidon Kremer's 60th birthday with a tour through 12 European cities.
Oleg Maisenberg has appeared at most of the major festival venues in Salzburg, Vienna, Lockenhaus, Schwarzenberg (Schubertiade), Lucerne, Berlin, Florence, Edinburgh, at the Carinthian Summer, the Piano Festival Ruhr, the Rheingau Music Festival and the Sviatoslav Richter Festival Moscow.
Oleg Maisenberg's repertoire encompasses all stylistic epochs - his particular preference being the music of the 19th century.
A unique event in the artist´s career was his series of 12 recitals at the Wiener Konzerthaus in the 1994/95 season each of it dedicated to a different composer. A commemorative edition of five CDs including selections of these live performances was issued by the Wiener Konzerthaus and more recently on the Glissando label.
In the 2004/05 season he has played Sergei Rachmaninov´s complete works for piano and orchestra in five concerts with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra Moscow under Vladimir Fedoseyev and gave four solo recitals devoted exclusively to Russian piano music in the Vienna Musikverein. In 2007/08 Oleg Maisenberg appeared again at the Wiener Konzerthaus with his own cycle playing orchestra concerts, solo recitals and chamber music.
In April 1995 Oleg Maisenberg was bestowed the title of "Honorary Member" of the Vienna Konzerthaus Society, in 2005 he was awarded the "Österreichisches Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst I. Klasse".
Between 1985 and 1998 Oleg Maisenberg was Professor of Piano at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart. As of 1998 he is Professor of Piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He further gives masterclasses on a regular basis, and acts as a jury member at various international competitions (Clara Haskil - Vevey, Géza Anda - Zurich, ARD - Munich, Sviatoslav Richter - Moscow).
He has recorded compositions by Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Stravinsky, Berg, Webern, Schönberg, Milhaud for the Orfeo, Harmonia Mundi, Teldec and Deutsche Grammophon labels. Many of his chamber music recordings have been released by the ECM, Preiser Records and Philips labels.
His latest CD together with Sabine Meyer has been nominated for a "Grammy Award" in 2008 and won the an "Echo Klassik Award" for chamber music.
