Lars Vogt (Photo: Giorgia Bertazzi)
German pianist and conductor Lars Vogt has died. The musician was diagnosed with cancer in February 2021 after tumors were found on his throat and liver, and succumbed to his illness on September 5, 2022.
Vogt first came to international attention upon securing 2nd place in the 1990 Leeds International Piano Competition. The achievement catapulted him into performances alongside some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Vogt enjoyed an especially close relationship with the Berlin Philharmonic; he performed alongside the orchestra numerous times and even became the ensemble’s very first pianist-in-residence from 2003 to 2004.
Vogt’s many recordings showcased his versatility as a pianist — from early works of Mozart to 20th-century masterpieces — and were released under the best labels in classical music. Today, Ondine boasts the greatest number of Vogt’s recordings.
In addition to the piano, Lars Vogt also left a large mark as a musical director. He was the music director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia from 2015 to 2020 and stayed on as the orchestra’s principal artistic partner after stepping down from the podium. In 2020, Vogt moved on to the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, in a music director tenure that was slated to last until 2025. One of Vogt’s biggest passion projects was the Spannungen Festival, a chamber music festival that he himself founded in 1998. He served as artistic director for the festival from its founding. No successor has been announced as of the writing of this article.
Many musicians have taken to Twitter to express their grief on his passing, including cellist Steven Isserlis and violinist Daniel Hope.
Lars Vogt is survived by his wife, violinist Anna Reszniak, and their three children.
