GENOVA & DIMITROV PIANO DUO

"The duo put on a public display of musical affection that was not only extraordinarily virtuosic, but also thoughtful, often deeply engaging and crackling with a current of electricity that seemed to run between the two."

- Stephen Brookes, The Washington Post

"A must-hear album (Amy Beach 2021)"

- Michael Beek, BBC Music Magazine

"A polished duo, unfailingly musical"

- Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone

Aglika Genova-Dimitrov and Liuben Dimitrov are among the most established piano duos performing today, celebrated for their remarkable musical unity and their extensive exploration of the repertoire for two pianos and piano four hands.

The story behind the Genova & Dimitrov Piano Duo began almost by chance. Shortly before leaving for a solo piano competition in Korea, there was only one rehearsal room available at the Hanover University of Music – and it happened to have two pianos. Genova and Dimitrov spontaneously decided to play a Chopin Etude together in sync. “It was as if we had been given wings!”, they later recalled.

Only a few months later, at the end of 1995, the two young musicians won four major international piano duo competitions within the following two years: the ARD Competition in Munich, the Dranoff International Two Piano Competition in Miami, the Tokyo Piano Duo Competition and the Bellini Competition in Caltanissetta.

Since then, Genova & Dimitrov have performed at leading concert halls and festivals around the world, including the Library of Congress and National Gallery in Washington, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Cologne Philharmonic, Herkulessaal Munich, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Gstaad Music Festival, La Roque d’Anthéron, Ravello Festival, Casals Hall Tokyo, Poly Theatre Beijing and Teatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro.

They have appeared with orchestras including the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern, New World Symphony, Sofia Philharmonic, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and Durban Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as other international orchestras and choirs. Their conductor collaborations include Charles Dutoit, Eiji Oue, Hannu Lintu, Yuri Bashmet, Ulf Schirmer, Stefan Blunier, Alun Francis, Gabriel Feltz, Ari Rasilainen, Yordan Kamdzhalov and Alexander Rudin. Their long-standing work with major German radio orchestras also includes recordings of Martinů and Schnittke with the NDR Radiophilharmonie under Eiji Oue, French concertos by Milhaud, Poulenc and Casadesus with the SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern under Alun Francis, and Mendelssohn’s concertos with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester under Ulf Schirmer.

An important part of Genova & Dimitrov’s work has always been their exploration of the piano duo repertoire. Their extensive discography combines central masterpieces with rarely performed works, complete editions and numerous world-premiere recordings. Among their projects are the complete piano duo works of Dmitri Shostakovich, Johann Christian Bach, Muzio Clementi and Pancho Vladigerov, as well as recordings devoted to Sergei Rachmaninoff, Amy Beach, Carl Reinecke and Claude Debussy. Their orchestral recordings include concertos by Béla Bartók, Victor Babin, Carl Czerny, Max Bruch, Bohuslav Martinů, Alfred Schnittke, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Robert Casadesus and Felix Mendelssohn.

Genova & Dimitrov’s recording “Béla Bartók & Victor Babin – Concertos for Two Pianos” received the ECHO Klassik Award in 2017, while “Carl Czerny & Max Bruch – Concertos for Piano Duo” was nominated for the OPUS Klassik Award in 2019. Their later recording projects have also received considerable international recognition. “Amy Beach – Complete Works for Piano Duo” was described as “revolutionary” by DIE ZEIT and named a Must-Hear Album by BBC Music Magazine. Their triple album “Carl Reinecke – Complete Works for Two Pianos” received the Fono Forum Star of the Month and the French CHOC de Classica. Full discography details here.

Genova & Dimitrov’s most recent major recording project, Debussy’s Complete Works for Piano Duo, was released by OehmsClassics as a three-volume series produced in cooperation with WDR Cologne. The project brings together Debussy’s works for two pianos and piano four hands, including both familiar and rarely heard repertoire, as well as the composer’s own versions of orchestral works such as La Mer, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, Trois Nocturnes and Printemps. The first and third volumes were selected for the German Record Critics’ Award long list in 2025 and 2026 respectively, while American Record Guide included the complete trilogy in its Critics’ Choice selection.

Both musicians completed their postgraduate studies at the Hanover University of Music in the class of Vladimir Krainev, who became an important long-term mentor. Genova & Dimitrov later led Piano Duo Studies at the university for 15 years and continue to give masterclasses internationally. They regularly serve on the juries of major competitions, including the ARD Music Competition in Munich, and have also served as Artistic Directors of the Dranoff International Two Piano Competition in Miami – two competitions that played an important role in their own early career.