Alim Beisembayev onstage with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Three years ago, London Royal College of Music student Alim Beisembayev became the first-ever Leeds Competition winner from Kazakhstan. His stunning lineup included Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 32, Brahms's Piano Quartet in C minor, and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini as his final work. Now Beisembayev has since released an album with Warner Bros. and was named as a BBC New Generation Artist for 2023-25. Beisembayev has debuted with the BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, among other leading orchestras.
Born in Kazakhstan in 1998, Alim began playing piano at the age of five. His early studies with Professor Tessa Nicholson at the Purcell School landed him several awards, including First Prize at the Junior Cliburn International Competition. He continued his studies with her at the Royal Academy of Music. After the Leeds Competition, in 2023, Alim completed his Master's and Artist Diploma in Performance at the Royal College of Music where he studied with Professor Vanessa Latarche.
More recently, Beisembayev returned to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (with Domingo Hindoyan) in an outstanding world premiere performance of Eleanor Alberga's Piano Concerto. The program opens with Albert Roussel's ballet Bacchus and Ariadne: Suite No. 2. Heavily influenced by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the colours of the orchestra shine through in complex harmonies and strong rhythms, despite ballet's more classical form. The orchestra masterfully executes Jamaican-born British composer Eleanor Alberga's Piano Concerto in four movements, with the pianist once again captivating audiences center-stage. The fiery final touch on the program is Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, a masterpiece that continues to inspire debate among scholars after its 1937 premiere. Was it an ironic mockery of the very government that denounced Shostakovich and almost ruined his career? Or was it a celebration of the endless hope for joy and peace through music against all odds? Decide for yourself after watching this emotional yet invigorating performance withAlim Beisembayev and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic here!