Biography

Rafał Blechacz, a Polish pianist born in June 1985 in Nakło nad Notecią, is renowned for his exceptional artistic talent. Described as a musician “in service to the music” (Washington Post), he stands out for his total mastery of the keyboard and his ability to fully explore the piano’s expressive range. In 2005, he won the first prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition at the age of 20, making history as the first Polish musician to receive this prize since Krystian Zimerman, 30 years earlier. He also won all four special prizes of the competition, along with the Audience Award.

Blechacz signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon in 2006, becoming the second Polish pianist to join the label. His albums feature recordings of Chopin, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy, Szymanowski, and Bach.

Notable releases include Chopin’s Preludes (2007), the Piano Concertos with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (2009), a Debussy and Szymanowski recital (2012), and a chamber music album with violinist Bomsori Kim (2019).

His latest album, released in 2023, is dedicated to Chopin and includes performances of the Second and Third Piano Sonatas, as well as the Barcarolle Op. 60.

Trained at the Arthur Rubinstein State Music School and the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, Blechacz distinguished himself early on by winning second prize at the Arthur Rubinstein Competition for Young Pianists (2002) and joint first prize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (2003). In 2010, he received the Premio Internazionale Accademia Chigiana and, in 2014, the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award. He has been praised by artists such as Martha Argerich and John O’Conor for his honesty and musical sensitivity.