key players

Masaaki Suzuki is an organist, harpsichordist and conductor, and the founder and musical director of the Bach Collegium Japan. He was born in Kobe to parents who were both Christian and amateur musicians. He studied composition and organ at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and was later taught harpsichord and organ by Ton Koopman and Piet Kee at the Sweelink Conservatory in Holland. In 1993 he began teaching at Kobe University, and founded the Bach Collegium in 1990. The group began giving concerts regularly in 1992, and made its first recordings three years later.

Read more about Masaaki Suzuki on Last.fm.

The Korean pianist, Kun-Woo Paik, gave his first concert, aged 10, with the Korean National Orchestra in Seoul, playing Grieg piano concerto. In the following years he performed many important works in Korea, including several premieres such as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Later he studied at the High School of Performing Arts in New York (1965), the Juilliard School of Music in New York (1965-1971, with diploma), in Italy with Rosina Lhevinne. He had further studies with Ivona Kabos in London, with Wilhelm Kempff and Guido Agosti in Italy.

Nikolai Lugansky (Николай Луганский) is a Russian pianist, born on April 26th, 1972 in Moscow. He is considered to be one of the best classical pianists and has performed with the likes of Vadim Repin, Alexander Kniazev, Joshua Bell, Yuri Bashmet and Mischa Maisky, among others. As well as performing and recording, Lugansky teaches at the Moscow Conservatory.

Read more about Nikolai Lugansky on Last.fm.

String quartet formed in 1994, under the leadership of violinist Corinna Belcea-Fisher. Other members include Laura Samuel, violin,Krzysztof Chorzelski, viola
and Antoine Lederlin, cello.