Born in Moscow, pianist Alexei Lubimov is one of the most strikingly original musicians performing today. His large repertoire combined with his dedication to principle and musical morals make him a notable exception in today’s music scene.

Following studies with Heinrich Neuhaus, Lubimov established an early dual passion for baroque music performed on traditional instruments and for 20th century composers such as Schönberg, Webern, Stockhausen, Boulez, Ives, Ligeti, Schnittke, Gubaidulina, Silvestrov and Pärt. He has premiered many contemporary pieces in Russia where he founded the “Alternativa” music festival. He formed a quartet dedicated to baroque music during the 1970s when international travel became impossible. As his many recordings show, performing old and new music well did not stop Alexei Lubimov from also being an outstanding performer of classical and romantic repertoire.

As political restrictions were lifted in Russia during the 1980s, Alexei Lubimov soon emerged among the first rank of international pianists giving concerts in Europe, North America and Japan. He has performed concerti with orchestras including the Helsinki, Israel, Los Angeles, Munich and St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic in London, Russian National Orchestra, Orchestre Phil. de Radio France, Toronto Symphony and Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin under the most important international conductors: Ashkenazy, Järvi, Kondrashin, Hogwood, Mackerras, Nagano, Norrington, Pletnev, Saraste, Salonen, Janovski or Tortelier.  Lubimov has given historic performances with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Wiener Akademie and the Collegium Vocale Gent. Alexei Lubimov regularly performs chamber music with famous soloists and ensembles at festivals throughout the world.

In recent seasons Lubimov has given concerts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra in Moscow and the Tonkünstlerorchester (2 concerts in the Great Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein), as well as innumerable solo recitals. He toured with the Haydn Sinfonietta playing Mozart concertos, played Mozart with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana under Robert King, Haydn with the Camerata Salzburg under Sir Roger Norrington in New York, and Pärt’s Lamentate with the RSO Vienna under Andrey Boreyko at the Musikverein and with the Tampere Philharmonic under John Storgards. Other highlights include performances of Prometeus by Scriabin at the Salzburg Festival and in Copenhagen and performances with the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment (Beethoven), Munich Philharmonic (Silvestrov), SWR Stuttgart (Pärt), DSO Berlin (Pärt), Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Pärt), Anima Eterna Brugge and Russian National Orchestra. In 2010 he will perform in Brussels, Utrecht, Budapest, Lille, London, New York and Los Angeles.

Lubimov’s recordings have been issued on the Melodia, Erato, BIS and Sony labels, featuring the complete Mozart sonatas, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin and Brahms, as well as music of the 20th century. Since 2003 he has recorded regularly for ECM, producing some unusual CDs of particular note: “Der Bote,” with music of Liszt, Glinka and CPE Bach alongside John Cage and Tigran Mansurian; Arvo Pärt's Lamentate with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony, “Messe Noire” with music of Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Scriabin; and “Misterioso” with music of Silvestrov, Ustvolskaya and Pärt. In 2009 Harmonia Mundi released his recording of Schubert’s Impromptus Op. 90 and Op. 142.