Biography

"What does music mean to me? Everything!" Alexandra Sostmann

With her technique, clarity of interpretation, and musical versatility, Alexandra Sostmann ranks among the exceptional pianists of our time. . Her piano playing, which spans a vast, cross-epoch repertoire from the keyboard works of the Baroque to the present, is praised by critics as “a joy in the highest perfection,” in which “intellect and emotion achieve an ideal balance.” Ecki Ramòn Weber from the magazine “Concerti” lauded her as a “sound alchemist at the piano.”

"What fascinates me about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach is its humility and unpretentiousness, the beauty, its spirituality, the structure and architecture of this music, the absolute, the worldly, and at the same time always deeply religious in all its compositions."

Johann Sebastian Bach plays a paramount role in her pianistic work, and she is regarded as an excellent interpreter of Bach. Her goal is to perform Bach’s compositions and those of his contemporaries as authentically as possible on a modern grand piano.

"I had long wished to establish a small, fine festival where Baroque music is placed in context with contemporary music and offers the audience concerts of the highest quality."

She is the initiator and artistic director of the “Bach & now!” festival at Schloss Agathenburg. It is envisioned as a place beyond the mainstream, where children, young people, and families can engage with music and become creative. Moreover, it is important to her to promote contemporary music and to alleviate the audience’s apprehension towards it.

"I have always been interested in modern and contemporary music. I find it incredibly important to engage with compositions from the here and now."

Another focus of her pianistic work lies in modern music and close collaboration with contemporary composers. These include Rouzbeh Rafie, Reinhard Febel, Apollonio Maiello, jazz composer Markus Horn, as well as the internationally renowned Chinese composer Xiaoyong Chen, who wrote the piano piece “Diary XI” for her, and the German composer Klaus Hinrich Stahmer, who dedicated a piano cycle to her.

"When I sit down at the piano, I feel happiness, peace, and protection."

Her ability to effortlessly transition from one era to another and to captivate her audience with her grand pianistic skills is also demonstrated by her solo albums (see discography), some of which were recorded in collaboration with BR. Several of her CDs have been nominated for both the German Record Critics’ Award and the Opus Klassik.

"Concert tours fill me with joy and great energy. Tours, such as those in South American countries, are something very special for me because the enthusiasm and passion there are immense."

As a soloist and chamber musician, Alexandra Sostmann has made a name for herself on renowned German stages as well as on international concert platforms She regularly embarks on concert tours in South America, where she also conducts master classes. In Argentina and Colombia, she has performed in well-known venues such as the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Teatro del Libertador in Cordoba, and the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo in Bogotá.

"I found my studies incredibly challenging, both in terms of personal growth and in relation to the pressure to perform."

Alexandra Sostmann studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Prof. Volker Banfield and the renowned Bach interpreter Prof. Evgeni Koroliov, as well as at the Royal College of Music in London with Dr. Peter Katin, where she completed her studies with a concert examination. Study semesters at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and at the École Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot in Paris rounded off her artistic education. For many years, she has been part of the exclusive circle of Steinway Artists.