For many artists, life under Stalin’s dictatorship was a life of constant fear. This was also true for Dmitri Shostakovich. He would have liked to protest, to make his opinions heard. But he could not. He was not allowed to. Every wrong word, every incorrect musical message could mean persecution or even death. To survive, he occasionally composed state-approved film scores, as his symphonies were scrutinized with an eagle eye, his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk had long been banned, and his extensive chamber music largely remained locked away in a drawer. Even after Stalin’s death in 1953, Shostakovich seemed like a prisoner unable to escape the vicious cycle of oppression, alienation, and hopelessness. Even when he composed bright passages, particularly for the winds, they seemed like aimless wanderings through the spheres of doom.

In August 2025, the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich’s death will be commemorated. His music is considered inexhaustible—modern and timeless at the same time. The often-hidden messages embedded in his works remain relevant even today. For this reason, pianist Evgeny Kissin has chosen Dmitri Shostakovich as the central focus of his musical work in 2025. How fitting, then, that Kissin is also the Portrait Artist at the Piano Festival.

Kissin’s engagement with Shostakovich’s work dates back to his childhood. In April 1986, at just 14 years old, he recorded Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto at the Moscow Conservatory, performing with the Moscow Virtuosi under Vladimir Spivakov. At that time, the wider public was not yet familiar with his name—only a few insiders in the music scene. But Kissin himself already knew this concerto inside and out. He had discovered it in his parents’ record collection and had been deeply fascinated by it.

Kissin was born in Moscow in October 1971. At the age of two, he began to improvise on the piano by ear. His extraordinary talent did not go unnoticed. I never felt like a child at the piano. And in retrospect, I don’t think the people around me ever made me feel like one either. Gifted early, matured early, an adult early.

At six, he enrolled in a special school for gifted children, the Moscow Gnessin School of Music, where he became a student of Anna Pavlovna Kantor. At the time, he could not have known the significance she would have in his life. The woman, who looked as if she could be a kindly grandmother telling stories of Father Russia by the fireside, also had a strict, no-nonsense demeanor. Kantor remained his only teacher throughout his life. He later lived with her and his mother in London, and they traveled together on concert tours.

Kissin’s extraordinary musical abilities became apparent early on, and the music world took notice when, on December 31, 1988, he stepped onto the stage of the Berlin Philharmonic. Behind him stood the legendary Herbert von Karajan—his hair now steel-gray—but his talent for recognizing brilliance remained intact. At that New Year’s Eve concert, Karajan introduced Kissin to millions of viewers, as the young pianist dazzled with Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. Of course, he was already quite ill. But his handshake was still strong, and his gaze was piercing, Kissin later recalled. He revealed that they had originally planned to work on Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto together. I deeply regret that we never got to do that, he admitted. After Karajan’s death, Kissin did not touch the piece again for more than a decade.

Did he ever grow tired of hearing Karajan’s name? Of course not, Kissin replied. He was the most important experience of my life. But doesn’t it bother him to be constantly asked about Karajan? No, why should it? The often shy Kissin has a disarmingly direct manner.

He admits he does not like being alone, even though he spends much time with music or books. By nature, I am someone who does not want to be alone. You can see that in the fact that I love playing for an audience. Even when I engage with music at home, I am not truly alone.

In his early years, Kissin was known for his performances of virtuoso repertoire—Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev. He explored Romantic music from various perspectives, with Schumann and Brahms among his favorites, followed by Schubert. He took his time with Beethoven and Mozart. In 2017, a double album featuring Beethoven’s works was released, and critics marveled at his maturity. By the time he performed a program featuring music by Chopin, Alban Berg, George Gershwin, and his own compositions at the Salzburg Festival that same year, it was clear: Kissin had long since shed the child prodigy label, and his stylistic range was now breathtakingly vast.

Now, he is dedicating himself primarily to Shostakovich. In addition to a solo recital in Düsseldorf—where, alongside works by Bach and Chopin, Shostakovich’s Second Piano Sonata and several of his Preludes and Fugues will take center stage—there will also be a high-profile chamber music evening in Bochum featuring Shostakovich’s chamber works and songs. When asked what he particularly values in Shostakovich’s music, Kissin almost seems perplexed by the question. How can one explain why they love something? You don’t need reasons. You just love it.

Kissin is an artist who, when asked, takes a firm political stance. He makes no secret of his disdain for oppression and misguided nationalism. Perhaps this is what makes Shostakovich’s music so meaningful—not just for Evgeny Kissin, but for us all.

Photo: Christian Palm