Anna Gourari

Anna Semyonovna Gourari (Russian Анна Семёновна Гурарий, born in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia) is a German classical concert pianist.

Life and career
Gourari received her first piano education at the age of five from her parents, professors at Kazan Academy of Music. In 1979 she performed her first public concert. From that year onwards she studied at further renowned piano schools and with famous piano tutors. In 1990 she relocated together with her parents to Germany in order to study at the Hochschule für Musik with Ludwig Hoffmann in Munich.

In 2001 she played a star role in Werner Herzog's movie Invincible.

Competitions
Anna Gourari quickly gained renown by winning important competitions:


 * 1986 1st prize at the Kabalevsky competition in Russia
 * 1989 1st prize at the First International Chopin competition in Göttingen.
 * 1994 1st prize at the First International Clara-Schumann-Klavierconcours in Düsseldorf. Jury: Martha Argerich, Alexis Weissenberg, Nelson Freire, Vladimir Ashkenazy a.o.

This last prize marked the beginning of her international acceptance. As of that year, Gourari has played a significant role on the international concert scene. She has performed with leading orchestras under conductors such as Lorin Maazel or Zubin Mehta.

Discography

 * Chopin (Piano Sonata No.3, Mazurkas) - 1998
 * Scriabin (Preludes) - 1999
 * Richard Strauss (Piano Concertos for the Left Hand) with Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Karl Anton Rickenbacher - 2001
 * Chopin (Scherzi etc.) - 2001
 * Beethoven (Piano Concerto No.3, Sonata No. 8, c-minor, "Pathétique", 32 Variations) with Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis - 2001 (Cover with movie scene)
 * Nocturnes - 2003
 * Desir (Scriabin, Gubaidulina) - 2005
 * Brahms: The Late Piano Pieces (opp. 116–119) - 2009
 * Chopin: The Mazurka Diary - 2010
 * Canto Oscuro - 2012, ECM New Series 2255
 * Visions fugitives - 2014, ECM New Series 2384
 * Elusive Affinity - 2019, ECM 2612
 * Hindemith/Schnittke (concertos) - 2024 ECM