Ralph van Raat has been completely fascinated by the classical music of the 20th century since the age of fourteen. Although his repertoire ranges from Bach to Boulez, his primary focus has always been on composers from Debussy, Bartók and Ives to present day masters. His aim is to convince his audiences of the immense beauty and diversity of the music of our own time through solo recitals, lecture-recitals, concerto performances, album releases and special projects. Van Raat helps audiences identify with modern day composers by adhering to a classical approach: he firmly believes that a strong sense of classical structure as well as a refinement of tone is essential in conveying the logic and poetry of any music.

This has not gone unrecognised: he is the recipient of a substantial number of national and international awards, many composers have written solo works for him, and he has performed over 50 piano concertos with orchestras worldwide such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He has also recorded over 30 albums. Van Raat is a frequent speaker and performer on radio and television shows, and teaches at both the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and the Accademia di Musica di Pinerolo, Turin in between his busy concert schedule. Van Raat was named a Steinway Artist in 2003.

For more information, visit www.ralphvanraat.com.

Interview with Ralph van Raat

Opening Doors: Ralph van Raat talks to Jeremy Siepmann