“Zarins’ embrace of the music’s monumentality and its intimacy was remarkable. Taking the 20-piece cycle (Messiaen’s Vingt Regards) in a single sweep and playing from memory, he riveted the attention: two hours that could easily have seemed interminable flew by, transcending time, and yet also making it stand still (..) He upped the contrasts in character, with wild ecstasy versus beatitude, and sharpened the sense of musical engineering – spider’s web filigree versus massive suspension bridges of sound (..) But most significant was his realisation of the rainbow gradations of tonal colour.” (Rian Evans, The Guardian)
“Zarins’ breadth of tone is so extensive that one has the impression that each set is played on a different piano.” (Raymond Beegle, ArkivMusic.com)
“Zarins’ performance of Petrushka is one of the most charming accounts of this work I have ever heard.” (Michael Church, BBC Music Magazine)
“Particularly impressive was Zarins’ complete tonal range and his splendid voicing throughout. This was consistent pianism of a high order.” (James Palmer, MusicalOpinion.com)
“The superhuman difficulties of the piece (Stravinsky Petrushka) appeared almost incidental with Zarins focusing on creating a collection of vivid musical effects.” (Robert Beattie, Seen and Heard International)
Truth and beauty: these are the qualities Latvian pianist Reinis Zariņš seeks in the music he chooses, the interpretations he sculpts, and the collaborations he enters. Equally at home in classical and contemporary repertoire, his passion lies in the crafting of conceptual programmes that encourage interaction between music, history, and philosophy.
In 2024, Reinis returns as a soloist with Latvian National Symphonic orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber orchestra, Choir “Latvia” and Sinfonietta Rīga, and premieres monumental new works by Rihards Dubra and Ēriks Ešenvalds. For up-to-date concert diary and more info go to linktr.ee/reiniszarins.
2023 highlights included soloist appearances with leading Latvian orchestras, Latvian Radio choir and Lithuanian Chamber orchestra, spirited chamber music making with Viktoria Mullova, Matthew Barley, Iveta Apkalna, Ksenija Sidorova and Trio Palladio, as well as a unique musicpainting performance of The Rite of Spring with Dutch painter Maryleen Schiltkamp.
Ever since his concerto debut at the age of nine, Reinis has performed as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout Europe and North America. He has participated in prestigious music festivals including the Lucerne Festival, the Bath International Music Festival, and the Scotia Festival of Music. His thoughtful virtuosity has delighted audiences at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Wigmore hall, New York’s Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow. Reinis has collaborated with leading orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, as well as all leading Latvian and Lithuanian orchestras, and with conductors Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös, Pablo Heras-Casado, and Andris Poga, among others. His performances have been broadcast live by BBC Radio 3, NDR, Polish National Radio, and King FM.
Reinis Zariņš regularly performs in his native Latvia and has won the country’s Grand Music Award five times. He champions the work of Latvian composers — several of Reinis’s albums are dedicated to Latvian music, including his most recent disc of Pēteris Vasks’ piano works. For his service to Latvian culture, Reinis has been awarded the Order of the Three Stars.
Reinis’s striving for exchanges of beauty in all art forms has resulted not only in a vibrant collaboration with his Trio Palladio, but also in various multimedia projects including a production of Vasks’ Seasons in collaboration with choreographer Kirill Burlov, and a performance project musicpaintingLIVEwith painter Maryleen Schiltkamp.
Following his foundational studies in Latvia, Reinis won several scholarships to refine his talent at the Yale School of Music in the U.S.A. and the Royal Academy of Music in London. His most important teachers have included Boris Berman, Raffi Kharajanyan, Christopher Elton, and Renē Salaks.
Away from the piano, Reinis enjoys long-distance running, being with his children, and reading on theology.