Famous Russian Pianists

Sergei Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, conductor, and virtuoso pianist of the late Romantic period. Credited with exploring the expressive possibilities of the piano, Rachmaninoff's music continues to be featured in films. His four-year struggle with depression, which was followed by the critical failure of his Symphony No. 1, was depicted in the 2015 musical Preludes.

Four-time Grammy-winning Russian composer and pianist Igor Stravinsky is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. He is remembered for his ballets The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. He broke the traditional flow of music and incorporated his own style.

Dmitry Shostakovich was a Soviet and Russian pianist and composer. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's major composers, Shostakovich's music is characterized by ambivalent tonality, elements of the grotesque, and sharp contrasts. He composed 15 symphonies during his lifetime and most of his work came under Joseph Stalin.

Russian composer and pianist Aleksandr Scriabin is considered one of the most innovative and controversial of early modern composers. Interested in music from an early age, he built pianos as a young man and didn’t take long to establish himself as a brilliant composer. Unfortunately, he died at the height of his career, at the age of just 43. 

Evgeny Kissin is a Russian-born composer and concert pianist. He is renowned for his renditions of the works of great musicians like Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Over the course of his illustrious career, Evgeny Kissin has won many prestigious musical awards, such as the Grammy Awards, Triumph Award, and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Award.

Soviet pianist Emil Gilels is remembered as one of the greatest in his field. He was 6 when he began studying piano and later toured the world, playing in New York City and London. He died before he could complete a recording cycle of Beethoven's sonatas for Deutsche Grammophon.

The daughter of pianist parents, Olga Scheps discovered her love for piano at age 4. Born in Moscow, she later moved to Germany with her parents, where she began participating in musical events at age 12. She is best known for her interpretations of Classical and Romantic musicians.

Born in the US and raised in Russia, opera singer and pianist Elizaveta Khripounova often experiments with alternative pop, rock, and jazz. He hit tracks have been featured on the soundtracks of series such as Pretty Little Liars. She also sang for a Russian film and the video game Dragon Age Inquisition.