Alexander Krichel

Pianist and ECHO Klassik prize winner Alexander Krichel is known for his captivating interpretations of the most demanding works of piano literature. From Beethoven and Liszt to Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, Alexander Krichel not only shines with his technical skills, but also with his ability to fully capture the emotional message of the music which transcends to the audience. Contrasting effective keyboard thunder with soft, luminous cantilenas is one of the trademarks of the pianist, who was born in Hamburg in 1989.

Alexander enjoyed his training with two of the greatest Russian pianists of the present day. In Hanover, he was the last student of Vladimir Krainev before graduating with the highest distinction from the Royal College of Music in London where he studied with Dmitri Alexeev.

During his career the artist developed a special relationship with Sergei Rachmaninov. The Russian composer’s piano concertos are an important part of Krichel’s repertoire. The live recording of the Second Piano Concerto with Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra under Michael Sanderling, together with the recording of Maurice Ravel’s three major piano cycles, are amongst the highlights of his discography, which comprises a total of seven albums. After Alexander Krichel celebrated his debut with Berlin Classics with his album “Enescu & Mussorgsky”, the second release in this collaboration appeared on 24 March 2023 with “My Rachmaninoff” – just a few days before the Russian composer would have celebrated his 150th birthday.

Alexander Krichel calls both national and international stages home: he has given concerts at Berlin Philharmonie and Konzerthaus, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle, Munich Herkulessaal and Prinzregententheater, Cologne Philharmonie, Tonhalle Zurich, St. Martin in the Fields in London and at St. Petersburg Philharmonic. He has also been invited to perform in New York City, Cape Town, Tokyo, Kyoto, Caracas, Mexico City, Oslo, Warsaw, Bucharest and many other cities.

In addition to appearances with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Bamberger Symphoniker, Dresden Philharmonic, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and Bremen Philharmonic, he is also a welcome guest at Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, Festival Strings Lucerne, Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and others. He has played with such renowned conductors as Jonathan Nott, Michael Sanderling, Gabriel Feltz, Wojciech Rajski, Markus Poschner, Andrew Litton and Ruben Gazarian.

He has inspired the audience at numerous festivals, including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Schwetzinger Festspiele, the Kissinger Sommer, the „Piano aux Jacobins“ and the Festival Internacional de Música de Marvão. He also performs chamber music with the Shanghai String Quartet, the Goldmund Quartet and the Amaryllis Quartet.

Alexander Krichel is not only a stage performer, he is also co-founder and artistic director of the award-winning festival „Kultur Rockt“ and artistic director of the exclusive chamber music series „Kammermusik am Hochrhein“. Since 2018 he has also been a permanent jury member of the Fanny Mendelssohn Förderpreis.

Away from the piano, Alexander Krichel is passionate about performing and visual arts as well as foreign languages. He is involved in projects that give children and young people access to classical music and is involved in hospice charity work in Germany.