Zecharia Plavin: “One has to play from the heart and in search for the eternal truth, otherwise the music becomes trite”

Beginning his early piano education and performing career under Mrs. Devora Yellin and Prof. Marietta Azizbekova in Lithuania, where he was born in 1956, Zecharia Plavin emigrated to Israel, in 1977.  There he continued his musical studies at the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv under Prof. Victor Derevianko concluding in 1998 with his doctoral research on Ernest Bloch under Prof. Jehoash Hirshberg. A prizewinner of competitions in Lithuania and Israel, amongst them the Shapira Prize of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation in 1980 and the Bachauer Memorial Prize in Belgium, Dr. Plavin has concertized widely throughout Israel, Europe and the United States.  Since his first appearance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1980 he has performed with most major Israeli orchestras.

His professional credentials are of truly international scope.  In addition to his teaching at Bar Ilan University and, for the past ten years as faculty member, at the Rubin Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem, Dr. Plavin has given recitals, workshops and master classes in Lithuania; the Hochschule für Musik in Würzburg, Germany; the South Bohemian Music Festival and the Prague Master Classes in the Czech Republic; as well as at the San Diego State University and the Hartt School of Music and in spring of 2001 the University of Illinois.   

As a faculty member of the HED Centre of Yehud, his duties included the organization of international seminars of contemporary chamber music.  The Center (now located in Tel Aviv) was designed to provide a platform for composers in Israel and, in this capacity Prof. Zecharia Plavin has worked with many distinguished composers including Sir Harrison Birthwistle and Einojuhanni Rautavaara.
His broad knowledge of art, literature and history as well as his profound familiarity with the life and circumstances of the composers of the selected repertoire allows him to bring special qualities to his music making as well as his teaching.   

A thoughtful and searching musicality characterizes concerts by this superb musician.  In search for the eternal truth in the music, pianist Zecharia Plavin gives another dimension to his performances:

"This is, quite simply, magnetic playing.   Combining rhythmic strength with improvisatory fire, structural intuition with tonal finesse, Plavin projects both the intellect and the passion of the music with a conviction that's utterly compelling." 

• Prof. Peter J. Rabinowitz, Contributing Editor at Fanfare

“His immersion in the music is so intense that its spiritual content is exposed and turned convincingly into sonorific substance.” 

• Benjamin Bar-Am Jerusalem Post

“When Plavin reached the huge climax, after which Liszt inserts, abruptly, a moment of complete silence, I found myself holding my breath”

“Ein überragender Pianist, ein grossartiger Meister seines Fachs, der sich nicht nur mit Schumann ausenandergesetzt, sondern ihn auch verinnerlicht hat.”

• Hannoversche Allgemeine

“His playing is characterized by great taste, intelligence and fantasy.  His very accomplished approach to diversified styles is made possible by a very strong technique always at the service of his art, never an end by itself.”

• Prof. Luiz de Moura Castro, The Hartt School

“…the unique quality of Mr. Plavin’s art is his quite uncanny ability to suggest to the listener the idea or experience behind the inspiration of the composer.”

• Concert pianist Michael Wladkowski, Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris

Ref: http://www.prologue-consulting.com/zechariaplavin.htm