You can read Cristian Sandrin’s biography in Romanian, German, French

“Sandrin’s generous sonorities issue forth in marvellous diversity (…) The varieties of touch and timbre required challenge every interpreter, among whom the late Dinu Lipatti stands out as a true Romanian rival”  – Fanfare Magazine

Romania and Mozart

I was born in Bucharest into a family of  musicians so I have been immersed in classical music all my life. My mother, as a librarian, encouraged me not to take music for granted and instilled in me the love for books and stories. I was taken to concerts at the famous Romanian Atheneum Concert Hall from an early age and studied the piano at the Dino Lipatti Art College, but I was never pressured to follow in my father's footsteps. Many people believe that he taught me from a young age – which was not the case. I would bombard him with questions such as, "Why did Beethoven write only five piano concertos when Liszt and Brahms wrote just two and Mozart 27?" He always took my questions seriously, forgetting that he was speaking to a child. He decided to entrust my musical education to Marina Dragomirescu and Cristian Dumitrescu, whose teachings centred around the culture of creating beautiful sounds and studying recordings of great pianists of the past. It was only when I heard Christian Zacharias and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra performing the Mozart Concerti at the Atheneum when I was 12 that I began to contemplate life as a professional musician. Sixteen years later I had my own debut at the Bucharest Atheneum in 2021 performing Mozart's K503 Piano Concerto in C major with the ‘George Enescu’ Philharmonic and Maestro Christian Badea. Mozart remains a passion towards which I am continuously drawn, which is why I often include his lesser known works in my solo recitals.

London and its Inspiring Musical Milieu

In 2005 I was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music in London under the tutelage of professors Diana Ketler and Christopher Elton, who encouraged me to be imaginative and daring. The RAM awarded me the William Sterndale Bennett Prize in 2014 and the Harold Craxton Chamber Music Prize in 2016. In 2018 I received a DipRAM with distinction for giving an outstanding performance at the Master of Music final recital. I completed my final degree at the RAM in 2019. Meanwhile, in 2017 I had my Wigmore Hall debut performing a tour of German Romanticism: Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann. I am told that I have a particular affinity for Schumann, and I am indeed fascinated by the haunting and enigmatic of his music.
Among the many sponsors and institutions that supported me over those early years, I will be eternally grateful to the Countess of Munster Trust for taking me under their wing, and to the inspirational Imogen Cooper, one of the finest interpreters of the Classical and Romantic repertoire, who is dedicated to passing on her lifetime of experience to young musicians at the cusp of their professional careers. I had also been supported by the Keyboard Charitable Trust for young pianist, the Tillett Trust and the Hattori Foundation. 

Solo, Chamber and Orchestral Music

I like to set myself ambitious musical goals, and dare to challenge myself to learn new and unfamiliar music. It is so important to remain curious and to work on pieces that are out of  your comfort zone – it is the only avenue to artistic growth. In 2022 I began performing challenging programmes including Beethoven's last three sonatas and Bach's Goldberg Variations. I have since mastered Beethoven's three Opus 2 sonatas and continue to explore other enticing piano repertoires, from the early Baroque music of Purcell to the enigmatic early Romantic works of the satirist/composer E.T.A. Hoffmann. Chamber music also forms an important part of my performance schedule, from duos to quintets. Aside from the joy of connecting with other musicians, chamber music fosters an important creative drive which inspires my own approach to solo programmes. Consequently, I believe that piano concertos are simply larger scale chamber music works. As a student at the Royal Academy of Music I often directed piano concertos by Mozart from the keyboard, exploring a key aspect of orchestral and chamber music dynamics.

Creating Opportunities for Audiences and Musicians

In 2023 I became Co-Artistic Director of the much admired Kettner Concert series at the National Liberal Club in Whitehall place, London, where I enjoy creating solo and chamber music programmes that invite audiences to discover the breadth of classical music in all its glory. It is a pleasure to encourage younger and fellow musicians to think imaginatively about their programmes as well as having the satisfaction of seeing our audiences embracing newly discovered repertoire by well-known and lesser-known composers around London and further afield. As a result, the organisers of Kettner Concerts are expanding their number of venues, and Kettners 'On Tour' will soon be running more regular concert series in Oxford and Manchester. 

Supporting Living Composers Project

It is easy to get swallowed up by trying to reconstruct a composer's musical intentions at a distance of centuries. Working with living composers is a welcome contrast. There are more composers per capita today than ever in history. We just have to go and listen to them, to meet them, encourage them to compose more, explore more, commission works from them. Give them work! This is my intention. When the composer is right there it is much easier to access the character and the thinking behind the music. Indeed, composers and performers sometimes disagree about interpretations of their own music – and it is ultimately performers who have the last word. It can be intimidating to work with a composer who is very particular, but it depends on your frame of mind. Once you are on stage, you can liberate yourself and try to be true both to yourself and the composer at the same time. You have to strike a very fine balance between these two entities. If you would like to read more about this ongoing project, check out my interview with Lawrence Dunn published by Bachtrack.

Cristian trying a grand piano for the very first time on his father’s teaching instrument from Bucharest’s conservatoire