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Influenced by
Sviatoslav Richter in his younger years,
Alexander Melnikov became interested in the fortepiano and has devoted much of his career to historical performances. He is also an enthusiastic chamber music performer on both the fortepiano and the modern piano.
Melnikov was born in Moscow in 1973. A child prodigy, he performed
Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1, at the age of 12. He encountered
Richter as a youth and was invited by him to perform at festivals in Russia and abroad.
Melnikov entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied with Lev Naumov. More unusually, he became interested in historical performance, still a rarity in Russia in the early 1990s, at age 18. He studied in that field with
Alexei Lubimov, a Russian pioneer in historical performance, and with
Andreas Staier, who became a frequent collaborator; the pair has often performed the 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano of
Shostakovich, with
Melnikov on piano, and
Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, with
Staier on harpsichord.
Melnikov has performed recitals at such prestigious venues as Wigmore Hall in London, Tokyo's Suntory Hall, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with the
NDR Sinfonieorchester, the
Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the
Philadelphia Orchestra, among many other top ensembles.
Melnikov has been particularly noted as a chamber music player, appearing in this capacity on both modern and historical instruments. He has regularly performed with violinist
Isabelle Faust, and the pair's recording of Beethoven's violin sonatas earned the ECHO Klassik prize and a Gramophone Award. He has also appeared with cellist
Alexander Rudin and
Jean-Guihen Queyras, baritone
Georg Nigl, and larger groups. He often performs with major historical-instrument ensembles such as the
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra,
Concerto Köln, and the
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Melnikov has recorded mostly for the Harmonia Mundi label, with a 2012 disc featuring the
two Shostakovich piano concertos, under conductor
Teodor Currentzis, recognized as a standout. In 2020, he and
Faust released the second volume in a new cycle devoted to
Mozart's violin sonatas.