Alexander Karpeyev is ‘one to watch’ according to the International Piano magazine. Russian-born and trained musician, he is now resident in the UK and performs regularly here and abroad as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician.

Karpeyev studied at the Moscow Conservatory with pianists Vera Gornostayeva and Alexander Mndoyants and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama under Joan Havill. He is the winner of the Dudley International Piano Competition as well as the Norah Sande Award and the holder of a Silver Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians. In 2014 he completed a performance practice doctoral degree at the City University, based on the Edna Iles Medtner Collection at the British Library. Karpeyev is often asked to give masterclasses and lectures on Russian performing practice.

‘Sasha’ is passionate about communicating his ideas on Romantic 19th and early 20th-century repertoire and, in particular, in exploring the works of virtuoso pianist-composers. A Medtner specialist, he became deeply immersed in Medtner’s music and approach to music-making while working on his doctoral degree, and his assimilation of unique performing practice evidence informs his own playing.

In recent years, he devoted considerable time to promoting Russian music in London as the Music Curator of the Pushkin House in Bloomsbury, where he appeared both as a soloist and collaborator with guest artists. Going forward he sees it as his mission to devise and direct music festivals that bring specialist performers and scholars together in new and imaginatively informed performance contexts.

As well as performing and speaking about music, Karpeyev is actively engaged in recording projects. The first, entitled ‘Russian Émigré Composers’ (Claudio Records, 2018), commemorates the centenary of the Russian Revolution and, in particular, highlights some of the achievements of the pianists-composers who emigrated to Europe and the USA at that time. The second, ‘Composers at the Savile Club‘ (SOMM Recordings, 2019) celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the London club. Elgar, Parry, Stanford, Howells and Walton number among the members featured. This critically-acclaimed recording was at the top of Spotify, Apple Music and Primephonic releases, as well as the Album of the Week at KUSC and KDFC radio stations in the USA. Third is a CD of Medtner Songs, Opp. 36-7, 45-6, recorded with the Russian soprano Sofia Fomina, offering the first complete version of Opp. 36 and 46, with Russian texts by Pushkin, Tyutchev and Fet, and German texts by Goethe, Eichendorff and Chamisso; it was released by Chandos Records in 2021 to critical acclaim. Karpeyev’s latest project is a CD of Medtner’s music with award-winning violinist Natalia Lomeiko and baritone Theodore Platt (SOMM Recordings).