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“…I think that Mr. Ilisavsky is a very special, creative and inspiring musician.
It’s pure joy to hear him play…” (Martha Argerich)
“…Vasily Ilisavsky was the great revelation for me during the International Clara Schumann
Concours … I think he has all the qualities to become one of the greatest pianists of our
time…” (Nelson Freire)
“...A stunning talent...” (Rheinische Post)
The Russian pianist and fortepianist Vasily Ilisavsky prefers playing on
period instruments. That does not mean only the fortepiano, but any
instrument appropriate to the time and the composition. For example,
Vasily plays Debussy on an 1887 Erard; Schubert and Schumann, on an 1825
Fritz; Haydn, on a 1788 Stein; and Skriabin, on a Russian piano with
English action. Born in 1972 in St-Petersburg, Vasily Ilisavsky received his first piano lesson at the age of six. In 1991, after his studies at the Rimsky-Korsakov Music College, St-Petersburg (piano, composition and harpsichord), he entered the St-Petersburg Conservatory, joining the class of Prof. Helena Shishko. In the following year, he was among the laureates of the first international Prokofiev Competition, which enabled him to set out on a soloist career in Russia. Since then, he has been a regular guest of the St-Petersburg Philharmony and the Capella Hall and has played several times with the St-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. In the early Nineties, he also played the harpsichord with the Ars Consoni Baroque Ensemble.
In 1995, he was granted a scholarship by the Gartow-Stiftung (Hamburg) and went to study with Oleg Maisenberg at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. His German debut took place at Stadthaus Ulm in 1994. During the same period, he frequently played with a Russian duet partner, cellist K.Kravtsov. They recorded several recitals for German radio stations, including the Bayerischer Rundfunk, the SWR and the NDR. In 1997, he was a laureate of the "Concours Clara Schumann" in Dusseldorf.
From 1999 onwards, Vasily turned again to historical performance practice. He specialized in fortepiano at the Musikhochschule Trossingen with Eckart Sellheim – one of the pioneers of the fortepiano revival, - and with Bart van Oort in Antwerp.
Today, Vasily frequently includes three types of historical fortepianos in his concert programmes, as well as the modern piano. Among his recent concert appearances are Schumannhaus Zwickau, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Conservatoire, Festival Claudio Monteverdi in Belgium; Early Music Festival in St-Petersburg, Moskau and Nizhnij Novgorod; Varna Summer Festival, Apollonia Sozopol, Sofia Music Weeks in Bulgaria; master classes and lectures at conservatories in Oslo, Sofia, St. Petersburg, as well as participation in the project of the Stichting Concerten Linschoten (Netherlands).