Passionate seeker of truth and virtuoso pianist: Busoni Prize winner and celebrated Liszt interpreter whose playing unites fire, depth, and artistic authenticity.
Tempestuous Poet and Seeker of Truth
Marcel Reich-Ranicki described Boris Bloch as a “tempestuous poet.” On his first Chopin CD, dedicated to the late Teofila Reich-Ranicki, Bloch demonstrates, according to Sylvia Adler (Darmstädter Echo, August 3, 2012), that he “is more than that: not only a fiery creator of sound, but above all a passionate seeker of truth.” The recording was chosen as CD of the Week by Radio Stephansdom in Vienna.
Boris Bloch: the tempestuous poet at the piano, the connoisseur of rhythms in music and in language.
Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Awards for Liszt and Beethoven
His Liszt CDs received the Grand Prix and, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt’s birth, the Honorary Prize of the Hungarian Liszt Society, presented in Budapest. The Beethoven double CD with sonatas such as the “Appassionata” and “Waldstein” was awarded six stars by “Piano News.”
Major Liszt Edition
A major release by Bloch is a six-CD box set with works by Franz Liszt, including the complete cycles “Années de pèlerinage” and “Harmonies poétiques et religieuses.”
Roots in Odessa and Studies in Moscow
Boris Bloch was born in Odessa, in present-day Ukraine, and studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow with Tatiana Nikolaeva and, above all, Dimitri Bashkirov. In 1978 he won First Prize at the International “Ferruccio Busoni” Piano Competition in Bolzano.
Professorship in Germany and Pedagogical Influence
Since 1985, Bloch has lived in Germany as a professor at the Folkwang University of the Arts. In 2007 he received the Pedagogy Prize of the City of Duisburg. His students include Evgeni Bozhanov, Vladimir Kharin, Eduard Kiprsky, Peter Jozha, and the prematurely deceased Nikolaus Lahusen.
Honorary Member of the Austrian Liszt Society
In March 2018, Bloch was awarded honorary membership of the Austrian Liszt Society in recognition of his services to the Liszt legacy.
Concert Activity in the USA and Europe
After winning the “Young Concert Artists” auditions in 1976, Bloch performed with American orchestras such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix, Indianapolis, and New Jersey. In Europe, he appeared with, among others, La Scala in Milan, Teatro La Fenice, RAI and RSO orchestras, the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.
Appearances at International Festivals
He has been a guest at festivals such as Klavierfestival Ruhr, Beethovenfest Bonn, Lucerne, Stresa, Flanders, Istanbul, Bologna (“I Grandi Interpreti”), Berlin Festival Weeks, the Chopin Festivals in Duszniki-Zdrój and Mariánské Lázně, and the Carinthian Summer.
Recent Concert Engagements and Jury Activities
Recent appearances include the Liszt Festival Raiding, Liszt Biennale Thuringia, festivals in Verona and Noto, the Duisburg Philharmonic, and the piano series “Master Pianists” of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. He has performed at the Mozarthaus Vienna, Konzerthaus Berlin, São Carlos Lisbon, Benedetto Marcello Conservatory Venice, Cologne, Warsaw, and the Essen Philharmonic. He served as jury chairman at the competition in Verona and as juror in Sacile Venezia Giulia and Seregno. In June 2024, he again served as juror at the Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau.
Recent CD Accolades
His Bach double CD was named “Top 10 Recording of the Month” by the Spanish music magazine RITMO. Further double CDs include eight Beethoven sonatas and works by Chopin.
The most recent CD “Chopin…” was released in 2025 by Gramola. In 2026, also with Gramola, his CD edition “Aveu passionné” will be released, consisting of 13 CDs and featuring works by Scarlatti, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninov.
Masterclasses and Honorary Titles
Boris Bloch regularly gives masterclasses, among others at the Vienna Music Seminar, the Vienna School of Music, and the Chopin Society Darmstadt.
