Krystian Zimerman gana el Praemium Imperiale de Japón

Krystian Zimerman © 2019 by Klavier-Festival Ruhr

El pianista suizo-polaco Krystian Zimerman (Zabrze, Polonia, 1956) ha sido galardonado con el Praemium Imperiale que concede la Academia de Artes de Japón. Este premio fue creado en 1988 y se ha convertido en uno de los más prestigiosos del mundo, debido en parte a la generosa dotación económica que lo acompaña (15 millones de yenes, algo más de 104.000€). La concesión del premio se anunció el pasado 15 de septiembre y la entrega oficial de la medalla será el próximo 19 de octubre en Tokio, en una ceremonia presidida por el príncipe Hitachi. 

Las otras cuatro categorías del premio han correspondido a Giulio Paolini (Pintura, Italia), Ai Weiwei (Escultura, China), Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA (Arquitectura, Japón), y Wim Wenders (Cine y Teatro, Alemania)

Por su parte la Fundación de la Academia Kronberg (con sede en Taunus, Alemania), que forma a instrumentistas de cuerda de todo el mundo, ha obtenido una beca de 5 millones de yenes (casi 35.000€) para la formación de jóvenes artistas. 

Nota de la Academia de Artes de Japón sobre Zimerman (en inglés) 

Renowned for combining expressive originality with clarity and precision, Krystian Zimerman has taken the possibilities of piano performance to new heights. Born in Poland, Zimerman began studying piano seriously at the age of seven, winning the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition at the age of eighteen. The following year he made his recording debut. Throughout his career, he has recorded and performed with many of the greatest conductors, including Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death (1999), he formed the Polish Festival Orchestra, bringing together talented Polish musicians to focus on the performance of Chopin’s work. Zimerman’s extraordinary artistry is inextricably linked to his deep technical understanding of his instrument. He knows every facet of the piano’s mechanism and believes that, "pianists should be interested in their instruments." He tunes and assembles his own pianos and has a thorough knowledge of their mechanisms and acoustics, which supports his exquisite and delicate playing. He combines his natural talent and technical skills with his desire to understand the great composers’ works; reading their letters, searching for clues that unlock the problems that musicians sometimes face. After long periods of intense study and reflection he will then record - most recently, Beethoven’s complete piano concertos to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, released to great critical acclaim.