Severin von Eckardstein

Severin von Eckardstein

Piano

Representation: Netherlands

Contact:
E: leontien.vandervliet@interartists.nl

T: +31 6 52468707

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Severin von Eckardstein, one of the leading German pianists of his generation, has an already lengthy record of solo concerts and concerto performances on major stages around the world.

He gave highly acclaimed concerts for example in Berlin, Munich, Milan, Moscow, Madrid, London, Paris, New York, Amsterdam, Budapest, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul, as well as at great music festivals, including Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Aldeburgh / UK, the Gilmore Festival in Michigan / USA, La Roque d’Anthéron / France, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Husum Festival (“Raritäten der Klaviermusik”) and the Miami International Piano Festival. He has performed with conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Philippe Herreweghe, Lothar Zagrosek and Marek Janowski, and made important debuts, among others with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Paavo Järvi, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jaap van Zweden and the Hungarian National Philharmony together with Zsolt Hamar. During the worldwide lockdown in November 2020 he debuted with Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev and the Ural Philhamonic in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Until its conclusion in 2020, von Eckardstein performed a total of eight recitals in the “Meesterpianisten” series at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. He is a regular guest at the “Berliner Klavierfestival”.

The artist won prizes at numerous noteworthy international competitions. In 2003 he has been awarded the first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. In 2002 He received the “European Culture Prize” and the “Echo Classic Prize.”

Von Eckardstein’s education in the musical arts was predominately shaped by his teachers Prof. Barbara Szczepanska, Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Prof. Klaus Hellwig, University of Arts, Berlin, where he also successfully completed his studies (Konzertexamen). In an additional course of study at the International Piano Academy Lake Como, Italy, he profited from further instruction and inspiration. He has been teaching masterclasses at many places, among others in South Korea, Finland, Belgium and at the University of Arts Berlin. After three years as a professor at the Cologne University of Music, he accepted a professorship at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts in 2026.

Von Eckardstein's exceptionally broad repertoire encompasses works from the Baroque era to 21st-century music; he has premiered several works by contemporary composers, particularly the American Sidney Corbett. One of his current focuses is late Romantic piano music by less frequently performed composers, such as Nicolai Medtner.

Chamber music also holds a prominent place in his repertoire. He has performed at festivals such as the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland and—together with cellist Heinrich Schiff—at the Risør Chamber Music Festival in Norway. His partners include the Schumann Quartet, Gregor Sigl, Isabelle van Keulen, and Isang Enders. Several years ago, he co-founded the "Klangbrücken" chamber music series at the Berlin Konzerthaus with Franziska Hölscher.

His CD recordings, including works by Schubert, Scriabin, Medtner, Wagner, and Schumann, have received numerous awards. His 2018 CD featuring works by Debussy and Dupont was awarded the Diapason d'Or. Piano Concertos by Medtner and Scharwenka with the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra will be released in 2026.

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Reviews

“[ … ] However, whether this tone now sings and talks, whether it stays flat or has its own hue; how the various tones and hues are transformed to an expressive speech of sound or phrase which grabs our soul. It is difficult to accomplish – not everyone can. I believe it is called: music. Severin von Eckardstein is a truly brilliant musician: and highly accomplished.”

— Eleonore Büning (on Schumann CD)

“Severin von Eckardstein is different to all the others, in his interpretations and in his programs.
(…) In Beethoven’s “32 variations on a theme”, he expressively showed all the different facets. Then, in the two pieces of Liszt, he dedicated his extraordinary dynamism to a poetic and dramatic expressiveness, a power that was carried through to the extreme in the Third Sonata of Scrjabin, as if a volcano erupted. But the enthusiasm in the main hall increased even more with the encores: a very delicately played “Dying Swan” of Saint-Saëns in the arrangement of Leopold Godowsky and the First Ballade of Chopin performed with passionate devotion. Indeed, a Master Pianist.”

— De Telegraaf, Eddy Vetter

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— VAN magazine

“Severin von Eckardstein: a pianist who has everything.”

— Haagse Courant

“Von Eckardstein’s exceptional talent as a pianist lies in the fact that he naturally moves on that metaphysical dividing line between dream and deed, imagination and materialized structure, desire and manifestation. His way of making music is reminiscent of flowing water, fluid and mobile, undulating without imposed limits, the light reflecting and breaking into fans of refined colours.”

— De Nieuwe Muze, Wenneke Savenije

“Scrabin’s sonata sounded like a summary of this evening: Von Eckardstein made the sonata shine like a diamond, always lighting up another facet. A flaming combination of poetry and passion, yet in total harmony.”

— Trouw, Sandra Kooke

“The deeply sensitive Von Eckardstein puts his heart and soul into every note he plays, thus creating moments of sublime beauty. His refined, intense, poetic and highly individual playing recalls great pianists from the past, like Wilhelm Kempff. Pure romance and centuries of European civilization can be heard in his playing. The depth with which Von Eckardstein played six Lieder ohne Worte by Mendelssohn, both touching and impressive, lifted the pieces from the level of alleged elegant pastime. By coloring even the most abstract passages with emotional depth, Von Eckardstein reached out to the audience with his interpretation of ‘Ellis’- 3 Nachtstücke für Klavier (1961) by Heinz Holliger and the European premiere of Paul-Klee-Blatt IV: Geröll (2007) by Martin Herchenröder.

Grand and compelling was the Sonata in B minor by Liszt with its flaming passion and lyricism. The highlight was Von Eckardstein’s ‘orchestral’ interpretation of the Sixth Sonata by Prokofiev, in which he dreamt of heaven and hell and all that is in between. ”

— NRC Handelsblad