Piano Études

Adolf von Henselt clearly belongs to the ranks of 19th-century composers and pianists such as Chopin, Schumann and Liszt. He played an important role in establishing a true Russian piano school and was highly valued by Rachmaninov. Henselt's virtuosic technique was admired for its cantabile qualities, but his career as a concert pianist was marred by extreme stage fright. The etudes from his early creative phase combine technical demands with a clear vision and a lyrical, poetic expressivity that is often reflected in colourful, descriptive titles. Marcel Tadokoro was born in Fukuoka, Japan. He began playing piano at the age of eight in Japan before going to study in Paris at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (CNSMDP) and the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional with Jean-François Heisser, Florent Boffard and Olivier Gardon. After completing his master's degree at the CNSMDP, he continued his studies at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris "Alfred Cortot" with a scholarship from Rena Shereshevskaya. Tadokoro won prestigious awards at international competitions, including the John Giordano Jury Chairman Discretionary Award at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2022 and third prize at the 20th Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition in the same year. He was also a finalist at the Concours musical international de Montreal 2021.