Los Angeles Philharmonic: Nothing But Beethoven
Christian Zacharias, conductor and piano

Program:
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 ("Pastoral")

Christian Zacharias is considered to be one of the greatest German pianists of today and one of the most remarkable musical explorers of our time. Known for his consistent and uncompromising individuality, Zacharias achieved international attention as prizewinner in the Geneva Competition in 1969 and the Van Cliburn Competition in 1973. In 1975, he won First Prize in the Ravel Competition in Paris and began an international career encompassing recitals in all the major capitals of Europe, award-winning recordings and concerts with the world's leading orchestras and conductors. Zacharias was recognized as Classical Artist of the Year at the Midem Classical Awards in January 2007. He also appears in chamber music recitals with partners such as the Alban Berg Quartet, the Guarneri Quartet, Heinrich Schiff, and Frank Peter Zimmermann.

In 1992, Zacharias launched his conducting career, making his debut conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva. This was soon followed by invitations to conduct the Bamberg Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Dresden Philharmonic. In 2000, Zacharias made his U.S. conducting debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at a two-week festival, followed by his conducting debuts at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Avery Fisher Hall and with the National Symphony and the Seattle Symphony. In September 2000, Christian Zacharias assumed the post of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. He started his tenure as principal guest conductor of the Sweden's Gothenburg Symphony in 2002/03. Highlights of 2005/06 included his conducting debuts with the New York Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Dresden, and the Radio Symphony Orchestra (WDR) Cologne and his opera conducting debut with Mozart's La clemenza di Tito at the Opera House in Geneva, Switzerland.

In addition to sold-out concerts in Europe, his recent North American engagements have included the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony, the National Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearances in recital in Philadelphia and in New York's Avery Fisher Hall.

In 2000, Zacharias celebrated his 50th birthday performing numerous Mozart cycles in major music capitals around the world including Amsterdam, Rome, Geneva, Edinburgh, London, and Paris.

Zacharias' upcoming conducting engagements include performances with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, the Dresdner Philharmonie, the Bamberger Symphoniker, the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, a tour of Spain with the Gothenburg Symphony, and a U.S. tour with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, including an appearance at Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium in December 2007.

His 2006 recital engagements included the Klavier Festival Ruhr, the Mostly Mozart Festival, the Festival Internacional Santander, Schubertiade, Rheingau Musik Festival, Ludwigburger Schlossfestspiele, and the Festival International Piano aux Jacobins. Zacharias opened the International Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival playing the Schumann Piano Concerto with the NDR Sinfonieorchester under Christoph von Dohnányi in July 2006.

Zacharias made his recording debut in 1976 on the EMI label. Since then, he has recorded more than 40 CDs for EMI through 1997 and six CDs for Musikproduktion Dabringhaus & Grimm since 1998. For his recording of Scarlatti sonatas, he received the Edison Award. Zacharias also devotes as much time as possible in his schedule to passing on his wealth of musical experience in the form of master classes.

Christian Zacharias studied with Irene Slavin and Vlado Perlemuter in Paris.