Viardo, Vladimir

Viardo, Vladimir, esteemed Russian pianist and pedagogue; b. Krasnaja Poliana, Nov. 14, 1949. After lessons from Zinovi Neiman in Ukraine (1955-58), he went to Moscow and pursued his studies with Ikina Naumov at the Gnessin Coll. of Music (1965-69) and with Lev Naumov at the Cons. (1969-77; D. Mus.). In 1971 he won 3^rdprize and the Prix du Prince Rainier at the Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris. After capturing 1^stprize in the Van Cliburn Competition in 1973, he toured widely. In 1975 he was appointed an asst. prof, of piano at the Moscow Cons., but shortly thereafter the Soviet government revoked his visa. He continued to teach at the Moscow Cons, and finally began to tour internationally again when his visa was restored in 1988. In the same year he was appointed artist-in-residence and prof, of piano at the Univ. of North Tex. in Dentón. In 1990 he resigned his position with the Moscow Cons., but in 1998 he agreed to return as a Distinguished Prof, while retaining his positions at the Univ. of North Tex. Viardo has appeared as a soloist with the world’s leading orchs. and has played at major festivals. His recital engagements have taken him to principal music centers, and he also has been active as a chamber music player. His repertoire ranges from Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert to Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Messiaen, Lutoslawski, and Penderecki. He also plays various Liszt transcriptions for piano of works by Bach and Schubert, and Harold Bauer’s transcription of works by Franck. Viardo has also prepared and recorded his own transcription of Franck’s 2^ndand 3^rdchorales (1995). He has likewise prepared and performed his own brilliant transcription of Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire