Irina Valcov
Pianist and composer whose recordings of the Enescu sonatas became a reference for a generation of performers.
Reference: Individual Legacies, Women, irina-valcov
Particulars
- Born
- 1961
- City
- Vienna
- Country
- Austria
- Activity
- Piano performance and composition
- Field
- Artists
- Philanthropists
- Period of prominence
- 1986–2012
Status
- Record
- ProvisionalPublished version, not yet sealed
- Listing
- Premium
- Last revised
- 24 October 2026
“Play the silence as carefully as the notes.”
Biography
Irina Valcov began her studies in Iași and continued them in Vienna, where she has lived since 1983. Her first prize in Geneva in 1986 opened the concert halls of Europe to her, and her complete recording of the Enescu violin and piano sonatas, made with her long-time duo partner, is still widely studied.
From the late 1990s she turned increasingly to composition. Her chamber works are written mostly for young ensembles, and since 2008 she has funded a scholarship that brings two pianists to Vienna each year.
Key achievements
- Complete recording of the Enescu sonatas for violin and piano
- More than forty chamber works for young ensembles
- Valcov Scholarship, awarded every year since 2008
Timeline
1983
Moves to Vienna
1986
First prize in Geneva
1994
Enescu sonatas recording
2008
Founds the Valcov Scholarship
Distinctions
- Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art2012
Gallery
Pl. 1Recital at the Musikverein, 1998 Pl. 2Manuscript of the Nocturne for string trio, 2003
Sample image, to be replaced with material from Heroon
About this record
- Reference
Reference: Individual Legacies, Women, irina-valcov
- Last revised
- 24 October 2026
- Record
- Provisional, not yet sealed
To cite this record
Irina Valcov. Vault Prytaneion Heroon, provisional record, last revised 24 October 2026. [domain to be confirmed]/profiles/irina-valcov/