The greatest living pianist

James Rhodes

26 March 2011

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Why, despite his devoted fans, Grigory Sokolov won’t play live in Britain

Grigory Sokolov is a pianist in his fifties; he is overweight, Russian, sleeps only three or four hours a night, is a strict vegan and is obsessed with the occult. He can calculate with one glance the number of seats in an empty concert hall and remembers instantly, to within an inch, where a piano used to be on a stage he hasn’t played on for years.

Sokolov is also the reason we must overhaul, right now, the ridiculous visa system that prevents so many foreign artists from performing in the UK. Lord Clancarty started a debate on the matter in the Lords this week, and cited Sokolov as a reason.

Clancarty was right. Grisha Sokolov is the greatest living pianist in the world — that’s a bold claim, I know, but he manages to do things with a piano that should be categorised under ‘not humanly possible’. In a career spanning over 35 years (he won the Tchaikovsky Competition, the greatest accolade an aspiring pianist can achieve, at the unheard of age of 16) he has released only six or seven recordings — all live, and not ‘live’ as in ‘I’ve cobbled together the best bits of a series of concerts and rehearsals’, but the real deal: one take, one concert, one huge gamble.

He won’t play with orchestras (not enough rehearsal time), won’t play on a piano that is more than five years old (the sound is too important), demands the absolute strictest piano regulation (using Nasa-level technicians who are not allowed to touch his piano stool) and requires at least twice as much rehearsal time as any other pianist (to include several hours with the technician/tuner). He will not release CDs (it would take him away from the piano for too long in order to listen to the recordings for approval) and hardly, if ever, gives interviews. None of this is about his ego; it is in pursuit of his idea of perfect music-making — piano-playing as an all-consuming quest for perfection.

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Anastasia

March 24th, 2011 12:47pm Report this comment

What a wonderful article that has compelled me to find recordings of this incredible pianists work and listen to it. I want to see him perform live. Shame on our system if we can not create the circumstances for this genius to visit our shores.

Neil

March 27th, 2011 7:44pm Report this comment

A fitting article for an amazing man. Thanks.

Estella

March 28th, 2011 10:00am Report this comment

Thanks for this excellent article James. I am one of the over 300 recipients of James' generosity.

Claus

March 29th, 2011 4:29pm Report this comment

Thank you very much, James, for this wonderful article! I have to concede that I had some tears in my eyes when reading the last page of this article ... What a bond of affection and warmth one can feel within these words.

james currin

March 31st, 2011 6:07pm Report this comment

All this has a familiar ring to it. Does anyone remember a fellow who was once the world's greatest chess player. Yes, that was Bobby Fischer. And he really was that until he became so eccentric and picky about who, where, and under what conditions he would play chess, that finally he wouldn't play chess at all. A warning I should think for Mr. Sokolov.

Miguel

March 31st, 2011 8:23pm Report this comment

Thank you so much, James. I saw and heard Maestro Grisha only a few days ago with a program similar to your Lisbon recital, marking my 21st anniversary as a devoted Sokolov groupie ;-)

grigory sokolov

April 2nd, 2011 12:50pm Report this comment

Your article flatters me! I am certainly obsessive about the conditions I demand, but this is only because I know only too well that I am not nearly so distinguished a pianist as many of my compatriots, not to mention a truly great musician like Murray Perahia.

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