Alexander Kniazev was born in Moscow in 1961. He began his cello studies at the age of six with Alexander Fedorchenko and graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1986. He then went on to study with the renowned organist Galina Kozlova and graduated from Nizhny-Novgorod Conservatory as an organist in 1991.
Alexander Kniazev is a laureate of the National Cello Competition in Vilnius (1977), the International Cello Competition in Cassado (1979), the Chamber Music Competition in Trapani (1987) with the pianist Ekaterina Voskressenskaya, the International Tchaïkovsky Competition in Moscow (1990) and the UNISA Competition in Pretoria (1992).
He has appeared with such distinguished conductors as Evgeny Svetlanov, Yuri Temirkanov, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Yuri Bashmet, Maxim Shostakovitch and Neemi Jarvi.
As well as performing, he teaches at the Moscow Conservatory and regularly gives master classes in Europe and Asia.
During the 2002 season, Alexander Kniazev appeared at the Tanglewood Festival, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and with the NHK Orchestra in Japan. His latest appearances - in France at "Festival de Saint Denis", "Nuits de Suquet", La Roque d'Anthéron, Sisteron and Menton, in England at the Harrogate Festival, and in Portugal at the Espinho Festival - have been acclaimed by critics and audiences.
Alexander Kniazev's latest recording of the complete Bach Cello Suites was released on Warner Classics in 2004. In May 2004, he performed the Elgar Cello Concerto with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Venice. In July 2004 , he appeared in recital with Evgeny Kissin at the Montpellier and Verbier festivals. 2005 saw the release of a CD of Russian trios by Boris Berezovsky, Dmitry Makhtin and Alexander Kniazev. Kniazev's latest recording is a collaboration with pianist Nikolai Lugansky. The programme includes sonatas by Rachmaninov and Chopin, as well as Rachmaninov's Vocalise.
This biography was last updated in 2006.
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