It is with great pleasure that we announce Edna Stern as our Musician of the Month. Edna Stern began her studies in Israel with Viktor Derevianko, a student of Heinrich Neuhaus. She continued studying with Krystian Zimerman at the Basel Hochschule and with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute and at the Lake Como International Piano Foundation. Her repertoire ranges from Bach to Berio.
Her recordings are highly praised by critics, receiving such awards as Diapason d’Or, Diapason Découverte, Arte Best CD, Gramophone upcoming artist, and Sélection Le Monde. Her last recording, dedicated to Hélène de Montgeroult received a Critic’s Choice of the Year 2017 of the Gramophone Magazine and Choice of France Musique, the French radio.
She has performed at prestigious halls and festivals such as the Philharmonie of Paris, Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Munich’s Hekulessaal, Paris’ Châtelet Theater, Moscow’s Music-House, Petronas in Kuala Lumpur and Musashino hall in Tokyo; performing in solo recitals and with orchestras, with conductors such as Claus Peter Flor and Andris Nelsons. Stern gives masterclasses all over the world, in such places as the CNSM of Paris, Rutgers University, and Tel-Aviv Zubin Mehta School of Music.
She has been a professor at the Royal College of London since 2009 and her musical activities include working with great artists in other art fields, like film director Amos Gitaï, as well as Etoile/Leading principal dancer from the Paris Opera, Agnès Letestu.
Stern built a reputation as an interpreter who does not shrink from taking strong and unconventional stands and at the same time respectful of the historical tradition of interpretation and the heritage of her own teachers. Edna has a special interest in interpreting and rediscovering forgotten composers. Her recording “Piano of Enlightenment” presented the music of nowadays under-estimated composers such as Galuppi and C.P. E. Bach alongside pieces by J.S. Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Her latest Montgeroult recording published by Orchid Classics was awarded a Critic’s Choice of the Year 2017 by Gramophone Magazine and Choice France Musique.
Edna Stern recorded fifteen albums spanning the Baroque (3x J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach), Classical (Mozart Concerti, Piano of Enlightenment, 3x Beethoven Sonatas, Montgeroult, Johann Simon Mayr Concerti) Romantic (Schumann, 2xChopin) and 20th century (Fire of Black and White album) periods. Her most recent recording, Schubert On Tape (Orchid Classics), offers her interpretations of the music of Schubert via an exceptional and personal method of recording, using analogue tape to record single takes of each piece in order to present the most honest and immediate performance possible.
Your Preferred Music?
Classical Music, great pieces by great composers, essentially depending on my mood.
Your Most Memorable Moment as a Musician? (With your permission, I took away the «professional»)
The first time I went to the Opera. I saw Britten’s Peter Grimes and was overwhelmed to discover yet a new world from the piano repertoire I knew, the new musical language of Britten that I wasn’t familiar with, and the infinite expressive possibilities of the Opera - how the lyrical and instrumental blended together with the text and scenography.
Describe Your Dream Performance:
Bach performing on the organ - I would definitely dream to be able to travel in time and hear that!
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