Photo: Martin Fleck / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Grigory Sokolov is, for my money, one of the most uncompromising pianists alive. He famously stopped making studio recordings and now lets only live concerts represent him, which I find both maddening and admirable. There is a gravity to his Bach, Couperin and Rameau that makes other interpretations sound rushed. He also refuses to tour the UK over visa indignities, and I respect an artist who treats his own dignity as non-negotiable. The label here calls him American, but he is a Russian and Spanish pianist out of Saint Petersburg. Hearing him is a commitment, and that is exactly the point with a musician this serious.
Overview
Grigory Lipmanovich Sokolov (Russian: Григо́рий Ли́пманович Соколо́в; born 18 April 1950) is a Russian and Spanish pianist. He is among the most esteemed of living pianists, with his repertoire spanning composers from the Baroque period such as Bach, Couperin or Rameau up to Schoenberg and Arapov. He regularly tours Europe (excluding the UK).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Grigory Sokolov
- Name (Japanese)
- グリゴリー・ソコロフ
- Reading
- ぐりごりー・そころふ
- Born
- April 18, 1950 (age 76)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Tiger
- Origin
- Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- pianist / music educator
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Merited Artist of the RSFSR
- People's Artist of the RSFSR
- 2003 Prize Franco Abbiati Italian Music
- 2016 Echo Klassik – Instrumentalist of the Year
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Pianist — see all → · Music educator — see all → · More people from Russia →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.