Prof. Kalle Randalu, Ph.D. honoris causa

Klavier · piano
Fachgruppe 5: Tasteninstrumente, Gitarre, Harfe (Keyboard, Guitar, Harp Department)
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Prof. Dr. h.c. Kalle Randalu

Kalle Randalu is an internationally renowned pianist, born and raised in Estonia. His teacher in Tallinn was Bruno Lukk, a pupil of Paul Hindemith and Leonid Kreutzer in Berlin. After graduating from the Tallinn Conservatory, Kalle Randalu continued studies at the Moscow Conservatory in the master class of Lev Vlassenko.

Kalle Randalu has received prizes at prestigious international piano competitions. He won first prize in 1971 at the Young Pianists Competition in Czechoslovakia and in 1976 at the All-Union Piano Competition in Tallinn; In 1981 he was a prizewinner at the Robert Schumann International Competition for Pianists and Singers in Zwickau, in 1982 at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and in 1985 received first prize at the ARD Competition in Munich.

Since 1988, he has lived in Germany. He teaches at the Karlsruhe University of Music as professor of piano, after some years as professor at the Freiburg Music Academy.

Kalle Randalu has performed in major international music centers. His repertoire includes most of the major piano concertos. Several times he has played Beethoven‘s complete piano concertos and his Choral Fantasy as a two-concert program.

Ensembles he has performed with include the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Bavarian State Opera, the Hamburg Philharmonic, the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg and Moscow Philharmonic Orchestras, the Finnish Radio Orchestra, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, and others, especially in the Baltic region.

Kalle Randalu has performed with the conductors Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Peeter Lilje, Arvo Volmer, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Mariss Jansons, Natan Rachlin, Maxim Shostakovich, Jörg Faerber, Jac van Steen, Kazushi Ono, Juha Kangas, Osmo Vänskä, and Leif Segerstam.

A long, fruitful collaboration connects him with the Estonian National Orchestra Tallinn, with whom he played classical works as well as premiering contemporary compositions. Close contacts with Estonian composers have led to many world premieres and dedications.

Kalle Randalu has played solo recitals at the Hercules Hall in Munich, the Konzerthaus in Vienna and the Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonia.

His special love is chamber music. With the Villa Musica ensemble, comprising renowned German soloists, he has given many concerts and developed a varied repertoire. His chamber music partners include ensembles such as the Trio di Clarone with Sabine Meyer, Wolfgang Meyer, and Reiner Wehle and the Mandelring Quartet.

Kalle Randalu has recorded more than 40 CDs. His complete sonatas of Paul Hindemith on seven CDs from the Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm label received the Cannes Classical Award and Echo-Klassik prize, among other honors.

With the Estonian State Symphony Orchestra led by Neeme Järvi, the complete concertos of Beethoven and Brahms have been released recently. Future recordings of Mozart piano concertos are being planned.

Kalle Randalu has received an honorary doctorate from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.