Leonidas Kavakos

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Leonidas Kavakos (2008)

Leonidas Kavakos ( Greek Λεωνίδας Καβάκος , born October 30, 1967 in Athens , Greece ) is a Greek violinist and conductor .

Life

Kavakos began his musical education at the age of five and continued it at the Greek Conservatory of Music in Athens with Stelios Kafantaris. A scholarship from the Alexander Onassis Foundation enabled him to continue studying at Indiana University (USA) with Josef Gingold .

In 2001 Kavakos became principal guest artist of the Camerata Salzburg and from 2007 to 2009 he was their musical director .

In addition to his lively international concert activities, Leonidas Kavakos is a chamber music soloist and director of his own music festival in Megaro Mousikis, Athens .

Leonidas Kavakos first played the Falmouth Stradivarius from 1692 and a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini from 1782 (Turin). Since February 2010 Kavakos has been playing the Abergavenny Stradivarius from 1724 as well as the violins of the modern violin makers David Bagué , Stefan-Peter Greiner and Florian Leonhart .

Competitions won

Recordings

  • 1991 Jean Sibelius, violin concerto; published and original version. Lahti Symphony, Osmo Vänskä. BIS Gramophone "Record of the Year" and "Best Concerto Recording" Classic CDs "Pick of the Year"
  • 1994 Jean Sibelius, Humoresken 1-6. City of Espoo Chamber Orchestra, Lamminmäki. Finland
  • 1999 Eugene Ysaÿe, 6 Sonatas op.27.BIS
  • 1996 Niccolò Paganini, 24 caprices. Dynamic
  • 2001 Paul Hindemith, violin concerto. BBC Philharmonic, Yan-Pascal Tortelier. Chandos
  • 2005 Ravel / Enescu, violin sonata. Peter Nagy (piano). Japan (Megaphone Import Service)
  • 2006 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, violin concertos. Camerata Salzburg. Sony Classical
  • 2008 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, violin concertos. Camerata Salzburg. Sony Classical
  • 2013 Johannes Brahms, violin concerto. Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly. Decca
  • 2014 Johannes Brahms, violin sonatas. Yuja Wang (piano). Decca
  • 2015 Dmitri Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1. Mariinsky Orchestra Saint Petersburg, Valeri Gergiev. Mariinsky

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Biographical entry at Decca Classics (English)
  2. ↑ Martin Zinggl: A feeling for beauty. (The Spanish violin maker David Bagué explains how he gives his instruments a soul) . In: Wiener Zeitung Extra , 14./15. June 2014, pp. 34–35
personal data
SURNAME Kavakos, Leonidas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Καβάκος, Λεωνίδας (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek violinist and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH October 30, 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH Athens , Greece