Stolen Moments

Rikke Sandberg
Rikke Sandberg is recognised as one of the most prominent pianists in Danish music culture and, since her debut recital in 2002, has been an elite part of the Danish music scene. She is
constantly present and totally absorbed in the music and her competence and talent are without bounds – she is as comfortable playing music written several hundred years ago as she is
playing music written yesterday.
Rikke Sandberg’s flexibility in her piano playing and musicality has enabled her to dedicate herself to playing in as wide a range of musical context as possible. As a soloist, both with and without orchestra, as an accompanist for well known singers and instrumentalists and as a chamber musician, both within Denmark and abroad – notably with, amongst others, the
legendary crossover ensemble “Mad Cows Sing”.
It is with passion, curiosity and an enormous desire to play music every waking hour, that Rikke is driven and she has no wish to limit herself. When she is not sitting at the piano, Rikke works on her own Nordic Chamber Music Festival where she is the artistic leader. Or she is nurturing the next generation in her role as teacher at the Royal Danish Academy of Music
and the Danish National Academy of Music, as a frequent member of the jury and jury chairman of the Steinway Piano Festival and Jugend Musiziert. She is often the orchestral
pianist for concerts with the Danish National Symphony  Orchestra, with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Phil and with Athelas Sinfonietta. Since 1996 Rikke has played piano duo with her friend, Tanja Zapolski.
Rikke Sandberg has been awarded many prizes. These include Jacob Gade’s store Legat; Victor Schiølers Mindelegat; Helge og Merete Finsens Hæderslegat; Ungdommens Sonningpris and the Danish Society of Classical Music Critics Award. Likewise critics have written: “Sandberg plays with such authority, that few Danish pianists can match her richly nuanced and brilliantly restrained playing” – “(she) expresses oceans of notes, forming long nimble and witty phrases with detailed clarity, colourful nuances and an expressive, declamatory presence which draws the listener’s attention” and “First and foremost, she is an artist. Show does not interest her. The listener gets a sincere, deeply concentrated, thoroughly unaffected picture of the music”.
“Magic was incited in the Queen’s Hall, when the Pianist Rikke Sandberg inaugurated the new Steinway grand piano in the Black Diamond, Royal Library. It is seldom one hears such a poetic and emphatic interpretation of Brahms’ romantic piano tone. “Few Danish pianists make such a large impact on our music life as she does”. Named Classical Musician of the year, 2005 by the leading Danish newspaper Politiken. Classical CD of the week and the year in P2’s “Amadeus”, Danish National Radio.