Biography
Greek-French pianist Dimitri Vassilakis stands among the foremost interpreters of contemporary French repertoire and maintains a long-standing connection to the Paris-based Ensemble InterContemporain. He bears no relation to the Greek saxophonist whose name appears in transliterated form as Dimitri Vassilakis or Dimitrios Vassilakis.
Born in Athens in 1967, Vassilakis began piano studies at seven, quickly drawing notice from local instructors. He traveled to Paris for advanced training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique, where his teachers included Gérard Frémy, György Sebök, and Monique Deschaussées. At the institution he received a unanimous first prize in piano along with additional awards. In 1992 he became a member of Ensemble InterContemporain, the group Pierre Boulez established in 1972. Within that ensemble he has collaborated extensively with leading figures of European high modernism, among them Boulez, whose Incises received its world premiere from Vassilakis in 1995. Additional partnerships have involved György Kurtág, Luciano Berio, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Iannis Xenakis.
Festival engagements have taken him to Lucerne, Salzburg, Edinburgh, Autumn in Warsaw, and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. Concert appearances include the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He joined a South American tour honoring Boulez’s eightieth birthday. Vassilakis also belongs to the György Trio and has presented further chamber works alongside fellow members of Ensemble InterContemporain.
His discography centers on contemporary scores, apart from several Bach releases issued by Quantum. He participated in Ensemble InterContemporain chamber recordings as early as 1996. In 2018 he appeared on a Stradivarius album devoted to chamber music by Boulez and Schoenberg. His account of Boulez’s Incises forms part of the complete Boulez edition released by Deutsche Grammophon.
Born in Athens in 1967, Vassilakis began piano studies at seven, quickly drawing notice from local instructors. He traveled to Paris for advanced training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique, where his teachers included Gérard Frémy, György Sebök, and Monique Deschaussées. At the institution he received a unanimous first prize in piano along with additional awards. In 1992 he became a member of Ensemble InterContemporain, the group Pierre Boulez established in 1972. Within that ensemble he has collaborated extensively with leading figures of European high modernism, among them Boulez, whose Incises received its world premiere from Vassilakis in 1995. Additional partnerships have involved György Kurtág, Luciano Berio, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Iannis Xenakis.
Festival engagements have taken him to Lucerne, Salzburg, Edinburgh, Autumn in Warsaw, and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. Concert appearances include the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He joined a South American tour honoring Boulez’s eightieth birthday. Vassilakis also belongs to the György Trio and has presented further chamber works alongside fellow members of Ensemble InterContemporain.
His discography centers on contemporary scores, apart from several Bach releases issued by Quantum. He participated in Ensemble InterContemporain chamber recordings as early as 1996. In 2018 he appeared on a Stradivarius album devoted to chamber music by Boulez and Schoenberg. His account of Boulez’s Incises forms part of the complete Boulez edition released by Deutsche Grammophon.
Albums
