George-Emmanuel Lazaridis, born in Thessaloniki, Greece, 1978, is a Greek pianist and composer.

Biography

Lazaridis was born in Greece on 17 April 1978. Since his early teens he has been performing in prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....

, Le Corum Montpellier

Corum (Montpellier)

Montpellier's Corum is a building that houses both a conference centre and a opera house, and is located in the centre of the city in southern France....

, the Vienna Konzerthaus

Konzerthaus, Vienna

The Konzerthaus in Vienna was opened 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both tradition and innovative musical styles.In 1890 the first ideas for a Haus für Musikfeste came about...

, the Acropolis

Acropolis

Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...

, the Athens Concert Hall

Athens Concert Hall

The Athens Concert Hall is a concert hall located in Athens, on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue....

 and played with leading orchestras including the Hamburg Philharmonic

Philharmoniker Hamburg

The Philharmoniker Hamburg is a German symphony orchestra based in Hamburg. Its current Music Director is GMD Simone Young. It is also the orchestra of the Hamburg State Opera....

, the Royal Philharmonic

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...

, the Strasbourg Philharmonic

Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg

The Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg is a French orchestra based in Strasbourg. It is one of the two permanent orchestras of the Opéra national du Rhin. The orchestra's current principal venue is the Palais de la musique et des congrès « Pierre Pflimlin » .The orchestra was founded in 1855...

 and the Warsaw Symphony.

He has been described as "An exhilarating soloist" (Monde de la Musique, Georges Gad), "A genius at work" (Eastern Daily Press, Michael Drake), "One of the finest pianists of his generation" (Yonty Solomon) and his playing characterised as "special enough to be beyond comparison" (BBC Music Magazine, Adrian Jack).
Having been mentored by Yonty Solomon

Yonty Solomon

Jonathan " "Sir" Yonty" Solomon was a South African pianist who was soloist throughout the world with many of the most important symphony orchestras....

 at the Royal College of Music

Royal College of Music

The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...

 in London, Lazaridis currently divides his time between his native Greece and the UK.

In 2006 he released an album of Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...

's piano sonata in B minor, with the Glasgow Herald calling him a "powerhouse pianist", and describing "the death-defying speed at which he takes the fugal section" as "almost beyond belief".

CDs

• Franz Liszt - Sonata in B Minor, Grandes Etudes De Paganini (LINN Records)
• R. Strauss: Sonata for Violin & Piano, Op. 18; Rachmaninov: Sonata for Cello & Piano, Op. 19 (SOMM Records)
• Schumann Piano Music (SOMM Records)