Kalle Randalu

Kalla Randalu ranks among Estonia's foremost pianists, his extensive career having begun already in the Soviet period. Although Germany has been his home since 1988, he has preserved strong artistic links to his native country.

Born November 25, 1956, in Tallinn, he studied there with Bruno Lukk, himself a pupil of Paul Hindemith. After completing training at the Tallinn Conservatory, Randalu continued at the Moscow Conservatory under Lev Vlassenko. Several victories in Eastern European competitions during the 1970s were followed by further prizes: in 1981 at the Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau, East Germany, and in 1985 with a first prize at the ARD Competition in Munich. These successes brought him to Western notice and led to his move to Germany in 1988. He has taught piano as a professor at the Freiburg Academy of Music and at the Karlsruhe Academy of Music.

Randalu has appeared with leading orchestras throughout the West, Estonia, and Russia. A sustained partnership with the Estonian National Symphony has included the premieres of numerous new Estonian compositions. Among his Western collaborations are performances with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Hamburg Philharmonic, and the BBC Symphony; in Russia he has played with both the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and the Moscow Philharmonic. Recitals have taken him to such halls as the Herkulessaal in Munich and the Konzerthaus in Vienna. In Germany he is also active as a chamber musician with Villa Musica and the Trio di Clarone.

His recording activity began in 1994 with a BIS album of music by Lepo Sumera, recorded with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Järvi. Further releases have appeared on Avi, MDG, and Estonian Record Productions. In 2019 he participated in an Ondine recording of choral music by Liszt and Arvo Pärt together with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir.