Julian Riem is one of the most versatile pianists in the classical world today. As a soloist, chamber musician and Lied accompanist, he performs on a regular basis in Europe, Asia and America. Even at an early age, he was considered by his mentors – none other than Michel Béroff, Michael Schäfer and Rudolf Buchbinder – to be one of the “most promising pianists of his generation”.
His exceptional musicality is reflected in his open mind for all things new, his love of arrangements for piano, chamber music and orchestra, and his affinity for contemporary works.
Julian Riem makes regular guest appearances at international festivals, including the Munich Opera Festival, the Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern, the Rheingau-, the Schleswig-Holstein- and the Mosel-Musikfestival, Musica mundi in Brüssel, Les Muséiques in Basel, the Tucson Friends of Chambermusic, Arizona, Barge Music New York, Tongyeong International Music Festival, Korea, and the International Music Festival Marvão, Portugal, in addition to performing in major concert halls such as the Konzerthaus Vienna, Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Maag Zurich, Bunkakaikan Tokyo and Munich's Herkulessaal.
He has won prizes at international piano competitions in Modena, Madrid and Premio Gui in Florence, was a scholarship holder of the German Music Competition and has received numerous awards for his numerous CD recordings, including an Echo Klassik, an Opus Klassik, the German Record Critics' Award and a Diapason d'Or. He won the Grand Prize at the 2022 International Petrichor Music Competition for his piano trio arrangement of the Scherzo from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
He and cellist Raphaela Gromes form an established duo whose six CD recordings to date with Sony Classical have each climbed the official German classical music charts. These CDs include world premiere recordings and numerous arrangements by Julian Riem.
In addition to the classical concert repertoire, Riem is an advocate of modern and contemporary composers; in addition to Messiaen, Ligeti, Stockhausen, Henze, Boulez, Xenakis, Schnittke, and Hartmann, his programs frequently include works and premieres by Liebermann, Stahmer, Bourbodakis, Illes, Koch, Cowell, and Ranjbaran.
He has collaborated musically with artists such as Christoph Poppen, Julian Rachlin, Albrecht Menzel, Markus Wolf, Wen-Sinn Yang, Reinhard Latzko, Isabelle van Keulen, Georg Arzberger und Andreas Schablas, sowie Susanne Kelling, Carolina Ulrich und Juliane Banse.
season 2024/2025
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