Emanuel Abbühl is one of the outstanding oboe players performing today. He has been awarded many honours and prizes as a young musician, including at the Geneva Competition and the Prague Spring International Music Competition. As principal oboist he has been working with the Basel Symphony, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) – performing on many of world’s leading stages and building an international career as soloist and tutor.
Abbühl has also performed with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Mariinsky Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Osaka Symphony, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Bucharest Symphony, National Mexican Orchestra, I Musici di Roma, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, under maestros such as Valery Gergiev, Sir Colin Davies, Seiji Ozawa, Bernard Haitink, and Heinz Holliger.
One review of a StraussOboe Concerto he played with the LSO described Abbühl as a“master of his instrument and musician par excellence”. As a teacher he now shares his experience with students worldwide, at the Rotterdam Conservatory and Royal Academy of Music in London, and as a visiting professor at the UNAM Mexico, Seoul Arts Center, Affinis Japan, Mozarteum Salzburg, Ljubljana Festival, ANAM Melbourne, Julliard School, Beijing Central Conservatory, and Krakow Academy.
Abbühl is a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts of Mannheim, and the Basel Academy of Music. Also he is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London. He has a wide and varied repertoire, and his recorded output includes works ranging from Bach and Vivaldi to Carter and P.M. Davis. His latest CD is of François Couperin’sConcerts Royaux – released in April 2024.
Pianist Hristo Kazakov was born in 1974 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He began receiving his first piano lessons at age four and went on to study piano at the “Ljubomir Pipkov” Musical School.
After graduating with distinction in 1992, Kazakov won third prize for his participation in the prestigious Johannes Brahms National Chamber Music Competition.
Kazakov continued his education at the “Pancho Vladigerov” National Academy of Music where he studied under the renowned Professor Dimo Dimov from 1992 until 1996.
During this time, Kazakov performed in numerous concerts in addition to teaching seminars on contemporary and classical music.
Upon earning his Master’s Degree from the National Academy of Music, Kazakov was awarded a scholarship to the Music Academy Fontainebleau, where he focused his studies on French Impressionistic music.
In France, he attended master classes with several highly- acclaimed musicians including Philippe Bianconi and Philippe Entremont.
As a result, Kazakov has performed a substantial part of Claude Debussy’s piano works, with his performances of Debussy’s 24 Preludes garnering critical acclaim.
Hristo Kazakov is also well-known for having performed many of Johann Sebastian Bach’s piano works.
His performances and interpretations of Bach’s The Art of the Fugue and the Goldberg Variations have been particularly well- received.
In May 2013, American magazine Fanfare recognized Hristo Kazakov’s Bach Goldberg Variations album as one of the finest interpretations.
Kazakov’s Bach Goldberg Variations and Debussy Preludes recordings are internationally broadcast in Australia, Brazil, Estonia, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the USA.
Hristo Kazakov performs regularly as both a solo concert pianist and as an ensemble musician.
He has performed with a wide variety of well-renowned musicians, including English violinist David Whiston and Swiss violinist Hansheinz Schneeberger (et al.).
Kazakov performed Frédéric Chopin’s First Piano Concerto in E Minor with the Orchestre symphonique du Jura, Switzerland.
Hristo Kazakov’s solo concerts primarily highlight the works of Isaac Albéniz, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ferruccio Busoni, Claude Debussy, Sergei Rachmaninov, Maurice Ravel, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann and Alexander Scriabin.
He has also performed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. K. 488 and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
In 2008, Kazakov performed in the renowned Gstaad Yehudi Menuhin Festival in Switzerland.
In 2009, Hristo Kazakov played three concerts devoted to Johann Sebastian Bach in which he included the Art of the Fugue and the Goldberg Variations.
In 2011, 2013 and 2015 Kazakov performed at the famous Swiss Schubertiade Festival.
Kazakov has toured internationally, performing in:
Australia, Armenia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
He has performed all 32 Piano Sonatas by Beethoven and 24 Preludes and Fugues by Dmitri Shostakovich.
Kazakov regularly plays chamber music with the illustrious Bulgarian String Quartet:
Quarto Quartet – whose repertoire includes works by Dmitri Shostakovich, Cesar Franck, Richard Strauss, Robert Schumann, Gustav Mahler and others.
In 2015, Hristo Kazakov was invited to be a jury member of theThailand 5th Mozart International Piano Competition.
Since 2013, Hristo Kazakov’s recordings have been globally promoted by Phoenix Classical Canada (a Division of Phoenix Records Ltd.).
In 2018 he recorded Goldberg Variations by J.S.Bach at Radio Hong Kong.
He has released five solo recordings and a DVD which includes works by Schubert, Chopin and Liszt.
- Debussy & Scriabin (CD)
- Claude Debussy – From the Preludes Book 2 (CD)
- J. S. Bach, Goldberg Variations (CD)
- L. van Beethoven – Last Sonatas (CD)
- Shostakovich – From the Preludes and Fugues and Piano Quintet in G Minor op.
57 (CD) - Schubert to Scriabin (DVD)