BIOGRAPHY

BIO

Michail Lifits

PIANO

“An exhilarating affinity for colors!” These are the words of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in a rave review of the young pianist, Michail Lifits, who is rapidly gaining international attention with his captivating musicality. In highly acclaimed solo recitals in the major concert venues and as an accomplished chamber musician, his “mature sound, seemingly full of wisdom” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) has moved audiences and critics worldwide.

The winner of the 57th Ferrucio Busoni International Piano Competition has given numerous concerts at venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Philharmonie Berlin, Herkulessaal, Prinzregententheater and Philharmonie in Munich, Laeszhalle and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Sala Verdi in Milan, Tonhalle Zurich, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. 

As a soloist, Michail Lifits has appeared with many renowned orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Residenzorchester Den Haag, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, the Haydn Orchestra Bozen, the Moscow Soloists, Orchestra of Valencia, Orchestra dell’Arena di Verona, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Munich Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Chamber Orchestra.

"...His uncompromising performance of the Second Piano Concerto by Camille Saint-Saëns becomes the highlight of this concert. Lifits' pianistic brilliance is quite beyond question anyway. Added to this today is a rhythmic swing, sovereign phrasing and a delightful joy of tone colour..."

Eleonore Büning, FAZ

Lifits is a welcome guest at renowned international festivals. These include the Verbier Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau Music Festival, Ruhr Piano Festival, Kissinger Sommer, Festival Pianistico Internazionale di Brescia e Bergamo, Festival d’Auvers-sur-Oise, Schwetzingen SWR Festival, Bergen International Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, BBC Proms. 

Aside from his extensive career as a soloist, Michail Lifits is an equally passionate and sought-after chamber musician. He has performed with renowned artists such as Vilde Frang, Nicolas Altstaedt, Steven Isserlis, Cristina Gómez Godoy, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Andreas Ottensamer, Veronika Eberle, Gil Shaham and Nils Mönkemeyer. With his chamber music partner Vilde Frang, he recorded two CDs for Warner Classics, which received ECHO KLASSIK and Diapason d’or awards, among others. 

Since 2011, Michail Lifits has been an exclusive artist for Decca Classics. His debut CD, which was released in 2012 with works by W. A. Mozart, received excellent reviews, without exception, and was named “CD of the month” by many leading classical music magazines and radio stations. His second recording was released early in 2015 with piano sonatas by Schubert. This is the first recording of his planned release of Schubert’s complete piano works. It elicited enthusiastic responses from experts and numerous critics and is now regarded as a recording of reference within the generation of younger pianists. His most recent recording is dedicated to the piano works of Dimitri Shostakovich and includes, in addition to the 24 Preludes for Piano, the Piano Quintet op. 57.

Born in 1982 in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Michail Lifits moved to Germany at the age of 16. He studied at the Hanover Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in the studios of Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Bernd Goetzke. He also received formative artistic influences in postgraduate studies with Boris Petrushansky at the International Piano Academy Incontri col Maestro in Imola (Italy). 

In April 2022, Michail Lifits was appointed professor of piano at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar. Previously, he taught at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media as well as in the context of various master classes for piano and piano chamber music in Germany and abroad. Michail Lifits has been a Steinway Artist since 2014.