Rostislav Krimer is a classical pianist and conductor, chief conductor and artistic director of the East-West Chamber Orchestra.[1] Intendant and artistic director of the East-West-Festival, Friend of UNICEF[2] and Star Ambassador of the 2nd European Games.[3] He was also founder, general and artistic director of the Yuri Bashmet International Music Festival & Academy.[4]

Rostislav Krimer
Rostislav Krimer on stage at a concert
Rostislav Krimer on stage at a concert
Background information
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Pianist, Conductor
InstrumentPiano

Early life

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After studying at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and at the Musikhochschule in Cologne, he earned his Postgraduate Diploma[1] and was awarded the Diploma of the Royal Academy of Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2020 became Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.[5]

Concert life

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Krimer's first London performance was a recital in Cadogan Hall in 2006. The Musical Opinion Magazine wrote of the performance: "Rostislav Krimer knocked out his audience at the Cadogan Hall...He is a pianist of note: watch out for him".[6]

He has performed with musicians and ensembles including Yuri Bashmet and Moscow Soloists, Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Maxim Vengerov, Fazil Say, Ian Bostridge, Mahler Chamber Orchestra at venues including the Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, P.I.Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow. He has played at festivals including the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France, the Beethovenfest in Bonn,[7] the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival, George Enescu Festival and the Ljubljana Summer Festival.

Krimer is the founder, general and artistic director of the annual Yuri Bashmet International Music Festival, which has been held in Minsk, Belarus as well as other cities internationally since 2006 more than 15 years.[8]

He performed at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games ‘Stars of the 21st Century’ concert along with Kronberg Academy Festival artists.[9][10]

He was playing concertos and recitals for more than ten years in duo regularly with the pianist Paul Badura-Skoda[11][12] as well as recorded a Mozart double concerto for ERP-Classics. It was the latest CD of Paul Badura-Skoda.[13][14] Rostislav Krimer plays in a duo with violinist Sergey Krylov.[15][16]

Krimer closely worked together with legendary composer Krzysztof Penderecki and performed his piano concerto.[17][18] In 2018 Rostislav Krimer together with Nils Mönkemeyer performed a premiere of new founded piece of Dmitry Shostakovich at the Shostakovich music festival in Gohrisch, Germany.[19]

The serie of Meczyslaw Weinberg 4 Chamber Symphonies released by Naxos gathered great reviews and 5 stars ratings all over the world including BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone, Classics Today,[20] nominated for most prestigious awards such as ICMA and Opus Klassik[21] as well as became CD of the Month by MusicWeb and CD of the Week by Norman Lebrecht.[22]

Since 2022 he is Intendant and Artistic Director of the East-West-Festival in Germany, which gather best artists from the East and West with a Moto "We Build Bridges".[23]

The Orchestra-For-Peace East-West Chamber Orchestra

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The Orchestra-For-Peace East-West Chamber Orchestra brings together lauretates of the Tchaikovsky, ARD, Queen Elisabeth, Long-Thibaud as well as concertmasters and leaders of orchestras like Royal Philharmonic Orchestra or Kremerata Baltica playing rare instruments such as Stradivarius, Guarneri del Gesù, Guadagnini, and Goffriller. This unique combination gives the East-West Chamber Orchestra its outstanding sound.[24]

The orchestra is based in the City of Beethoven - Bonn,[25] Germany, and was founded by Rostislav Krimer in 2015. It has also been the resident orchestra of the Yuri Bashmet International Music Festival and has performed across Europe. The orchestra sees itself as an ambassador for transnational cooperation, peace, and cultural exchange throughout Europe and beyond. Since 2023, it has also became the orchestra-in-residence at the East-West-Festival in Germany.

Premieres

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Awards

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  • Associate Royal Academy of Music[34]
  • Star Ambassador of the 2nd European Games (2019) [35]
  • Ernst & Young Award “ EY Entrepreneur of The Year” – Laureate[36][37]
  • International CSR Award “Philanthropy of the Year” – Laureate[38]
  • Laureate of the UNISA International Piano Competition, also Zara Jackson Prize for the best interpretation of F.Chopin[39]
  • 3 prize at the F.Chopin International Youth Piano Competition (Szafarnia, Poland, 1996)[40]

Philanthropic Work

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  • Rostislav Krimer is the Friend of UNICEF and Member of the Board of Friends of UNICEF[41]
  • 1994-2006 performed in hundreds of charity concerts in the Netherlands, the UK, Finland, and other countries for the Peace Fund. These concerts aimed to raise money for Chernobyl Children Rehabilitation Camps after Chernobyl Disuster.
  • In 2013, he organized and performed at a charity recital for children operations. Together with Maxim Vengerov. Minsk.[42]
  • In 2015, Krimer organized a charity event called '15 000 Chances for Life', and performed at the event along with the East-West Chamber Orchestra, the actor Konstantin Khabensky, and the soloists of the Bashmet Music Festival in Minsk. Over 60 thousand US dollars were raised to buy medicine for the Republican Scientific Practical Center for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology in Minsk.[43]
  • Since 2016, Krimer has worked closely with UNICEF, organizing the "Annual UNICEF Gala Dinner with Rostislav Krimer & Friends" to help children in need.[2]
  • In 2023, he also became a partner of Save the Children Germany.[44][45]
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References

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  1. ^ a b "Rostislav Krimer". www.belarus.by. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  2. ^ a b "Friend of UNICEF". Rostislav Krimer. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  3. ^ "Pianist Rostislav Krimer becomes 2nd European Games Star Ambassador | GYMmedia.de". www.gymmedia.de. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  4. ^ "Yuri Bashmet International Music Festival I Artistic Director - Rostislav Krimer". www.bashmet-festival.com. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  5. ^ "Royal Academy of Music announces 2020 honours". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  6. ^ Rostislav Krimer at Cadogan Hall – Musical Opinion, archived from the original on 2014-06-11, retrieved 2016-01-06(subscription required)
  7. ^ Bonn, Beethovenfest. "Post Tower Lounge: Kammermusik der Welten 1 – Russland". Beethovenfest Bonn 2013 (in German). Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  8. ^ "About the Yuri Bashmet International Music Festival". bashmet-festival.com. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  9. ^ "Пианист Ростислав Кример станет единственным музыкальным представителем Беларуси на Олимпиаде в Сочи". Белорусское телеграфное агентство (in Russian). 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  10. ^ "Пианист Ростислав Кример станет единственным музыкальным представителем Беларуси на Олимпиаде в Сочи.. Обсуждение на LiveInternet - Российский Сервис Онлайн-Дневников". www.liveinternet.ru. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  11. ^ "Piano duo: Rostislav Krimer, Paul Badura – Skoda | Festival Ljubljana". Festival Ljubljana. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  12. ^ ekspresas, Dienraštis Vakaru. "Klaipėdoje koncertuos pasaulinė fortepijono legenda Paulas Badura-Skoda | ve.lt". Dienraštis Vakaru ekspresas. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  13. ^ "Resurrection of Mozart". ERP. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  14. ^ Resurrection of Mozart, 2014-10-07, retrieved 2024-06-24
  15. ^ "Fiere, feste e festival – GRANDI maESTRI – Sergej Krylov, violino Rostislav Krimer, pianoforte Musiche di di D. Shostakovic". www.nonsoloeventiparma.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  16. ^ "Rostislav Krimer « Amici della Musica Firenze". www.amicimusica.fi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  17. ^ "Oficjalna strona Krzysztofa Pendereckiego". www.krzysztofpenderecki.eu. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  18. ^ "Кшиштоф Пендерецкий впервые продирижирует концертом на фестивале Башмета в Минске | События, факты, анонсы | Belarus.by". www.belarus.by (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  19. ^ "Internationale Schostakowitsch-Tage mit Schostakowitsch-Uraufführung | nmz - neue musikzeitung". www.nmz.de (in German). Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  20. ^ "Naxos Classical Music – Naxos Album Reviews". www.naxos.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  21. ^ "WEINBERG, M.: Chamber Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 (East-West Chamber Orchestra, Krimer) - 8.574063". www.naxos.com. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  22. ^ "The unstoppable master of intimated emotion". Slipped Disc. 2022-01-16. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  23. ^ "Festival | East-West Chamber Orchestra | Kammerorchester". EAST-WEST-FESTIVAL (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  24. ^ "East-West Chamber Orchestra, Official Website". The Orchestra-For-Peace East-West Chamber Orchestra. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  25. ^ "East-West Chamber Orchestra e.V. / East-West Festival". www.iamaworld.com. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  26. ^ "Bruno Mantovani | Blue girl with red wagon". www.brunomantovani.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  27. ^ "Caticle in the Sun Sofia Gubaidulina". Archived from the original on 2014-03-23.
  28. ^ "The Seasons' Digest". www.schott-music.com. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  29. ^ "Eventi Romagna | EMILIA ROMAGNA FESTIVAL: LUX AETERNA. Rostislav Krimer, pianoforte. Sabato 27 luglio. Chiostro del monastero di San Francesco. Mordano". 2015-04-02. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  30. ^ "Internationale Schostakowitsch-Tage mit Schostakowitsch-Uraufführung | nmz - neue musikzeitung". www.nmz.de (in German). 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  31. ^ "World premiere dedicated to Rostislav Krimer and Yuri Bashmet".
  32. ^ "EAST-WEST CHAMBER ORCHESTRA". George Enescu Festival. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  33. ^ "EAST-WEST CHAMBER ORCHESTRA". George Enescu Festival. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  34. ^ "Royal Academy of Music announces 2020 honours". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  35. ^ "Pianist Rostislav Krimer becomes 2nd European Games Star Ambassador | GYMmedia.de". www.gymmedia.de. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  36. ^ Ernst, and Young. "Entrepreneur of The Year Laureates" (PDF). EY.
  37. ^ "Определены лауреаты конкурса EY "Предприниматель года 2016" в Беларуси". www.belta.by (in Russian). 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  38. ^ "Победители III ежегодной премии КСО в Беларуси". neg.by (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  39. ^ Various – Tenth Unisa International Piano Competition 2004 (in German), retrieved 2022-12-21
  40. ^ "The 4th International Piano Competition |". Szafarnia – Ośrodek Chopinowski. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  41. ^ "Совет друзей". UNICEF Belarus. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  42. ^ "Сольный благотворительный концерт Максима Венгерова прошел при участии МТС. На шаг впереди". www.mts.by. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  43. ^ "Ростислав Кример: Фестиваль Башмета: аншлаг, аншлаг, еще аншлаг". Белорусское телеграфное агентство (in Russian). 2015-10-13. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  44. ^ "Save the Children Deutschland on LinkedIn: Ost-West-Festival NRW". de.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  45. ^ "Ost-West-Festival NRW". www.savethechildren.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-06-24.