Overview
Biography
Fang Yuan, one of China’s leading pianists, has been praised by international critics and pianists for her outstanding performances. The great Austrian pianist Paul Badura-Skoda said, “Fang is one of the few pianists who can bring the spirit of composers to life.” The Sueddeutsche Zeitung hailed her as “an amazing Chinese pianist who tugs at the heartstrings of the audience.”
She has performed worldwide with leading orchestras including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Marseille Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and many more, under the batons of leading international and Chinese conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Lu Jia, Walter Weller and Lawrence Foster.
Fang Yuan has recorded several CDs and DVDs of her favourite repertoire, that from Central Europe, including solo works by Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Her most recent recording was made this past January, when she recorded for Sony Classics with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (London). Her much praised interpretations of the Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 4 have been released to excellent reviews, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Fang Yuan began piano studies at an early age, giving her first public concert at the age of 6. She continued her studies in Beijing at China Central Conservatory of Music, under Professor Yuan Wu. During a 7-year period of study in Germany, she worked with Gerhard Oppitz and Michael Schaefer, graduating in 2008 from the Munich Hochschule fur Musik und Theater with a double major in Piano and Chamber music, a qualification recognized as a doctoral equivalent by the Ministry of Education in China. She also attended master classes with Andras Schiff.
Early successes included winning the top prize from the Munich International Young Pianist Stage (2004). That same year, she was invited to join the Munich Pianist Club, and received recognition as the ‘Most popular pianist’. She also became a member of the Yehudi Menuhin Live Concert Foundation. Equally at home performing chamber music, while in Germany she founded the MHM Piano Quintet and Spianato Piano Trio, with whom she has toured successfully in Europe and China. She has also performed with the outstanding cellist Jian Wang in the Sintra Festival in Portugal. She was invited to create a multimedia concert at the World Universidad Arts Festival in 2011.
In China she is very active, performing with orchestras across the country, including the China National SO, NCPA Orchestra, Shanghai SO, Tianjin SO, Shenzhen SO, China Radio SO,Haerbin SO, Lanzhou SO, Xiamen Philharmonic, Nanjing Philharmonic and many more across the country. She also has participated in the Beijing Modern Music Festival, performing several premieres of new works. Recitals and chamber music across China have also brought her success. Most recently she has presented music lectures at NCPA. She was appointed professor of piano at the China Central Conservatory of Music, at the age of 29 the youngest professor ever appointed there. A popular teacher, her students have been the recipients of many awards.
Conductors with whom she has collaborated with include Zubin Mehta, Lawrence Foster, Walter Weller, Christian Ewald, Xiaoying Zheng, Jia Lv, Yongyan Hu, Daye Lin, and many more. Other soloists with whom she has enjoyed working with are Jian Wang, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Siqing Lv, Liwei Qin, and many more. Most recently she toured China’s leading cities with the Diotima Quartet from France.
She is a Boesendorfer artist.
