"Sascha & Mischa Manz are two young and highly promising pianists. I would not be surprised if they made a great career in the years to come." These were the words of Sir G. Solti after listening to a 1995 performance by the twins in Zurich, one month before his death.
The 27 years old musicians were born in Zurich, Switzerland. Their musical education started when they were still very young; since then, they have developed into one of the most eminent piano duos of our time. Sascha & Mischa Manz made their appearance on the international music scene at the early age of 13 with their spectacular performance of two of Bach's piano concertos, directed by E. De Stoutz at the Tonhalle in Zurich. Immediately after this performance, the twins were invited to play piano concertos by Bach (c-major) and Mozart (e-flat-major) in Bremen and Basel. This is when they decided to continue playing those two pieces in future.
In 2003, the Manz twins were on a tour in eastern Europe, performing in cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg. Among many other performances, the twins played a Mozart concerto together with maestro Nicolaew and the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of A. Dimitriev. Maestro Dimitriev was so enthusiastic about their performance he suggested recording their full two-piano repertoire under his direction. Now in 2004, the twins are engaging in the project of playing all the concertos by Bach for two, three and four pianos in collaboration with their fellow musician and mentor, Mr R. Kehrer.
Sascha & Mischa had made their Ukraine and Russia debut already in 1999, performing with the Russian National Orchestra directed by Dimitry Yablonsky as well as playing at the summer festival in Charkov and numerous other occasions. Their success in the eastern countries made them well-known throughout Europe. Tours brought them to cities such as Hamburg and Vienna, and they appeared in famous festivals including the Lockenhaus festival and the Schleswig-Holstein-Musikfestival.
In 2001, the twins were finalists at the international Dranoff Two-Piano Competition in Miami and won a prize for best performance of Russian Music. In 2002, they received another invitation to Moscow; they also played at the Musical Olympus festival in St. Petersburg, performing the Poulenc concerto for two pianos.
In 2003 the twins decided to pursue a different path in their life then to become professional pianists. They felt however the responsibility to continue their family legacy and pursue the path started by their ancestors. In the years 2004/5 they engaged in an MBA course at the very renowned University SDA Bocconi in Milan. After a successful graduation the twins took over the management of their family owned hotel chain, without abandoning their passion for music. The Projects with Elena Obrastsova and Mikhail Platnev are examples of how the twins balance their musical future with their daily management work.
They both graduated with highest grades from the Winthertur conservatory, Maestro Sherbakov being their mentor. Their great talent and deep understanding of music was greatly influenced by the friendship with a great number of famous musicians such as Kissin, Eschenbach, Kremer and Pletnev.
