In the music world the outstanding pianist Alexander Toradze (1952–2022) is also known as Lexo, as he was often called by his relatives, friends, and colleagues. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire in 1977. In the 1980’s, he emigrated to the USA, taught at Indiana University, and later launched his own piano studio. Toradze was a brilliant interpreter of the works of Shostakovich, Mussorgsky, Scryabin, and Stravinsky. The recordings of Prokofiev’s concertos performed by Alexander Toradze with the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev are considered a gold standard. The pianist also appeared frequently with leading orchestras of Europe and the USA.
