Eri Mantani

" The Japanese Eri shows a lively nature, brilliant, even electric; an intense personality. "

Anne Queffélec, pianist

" Eri Mantani fascinates us with her great sensitivity, liveliness and sonorous harmony. "

Ongaku no Tomo

" Eri Mantani is a pianist who proceeds with care and balance,

but makes sure that the deep poetic grounds pulsate with vitality and sincerity. "

L'Eco di Bergamo

" The sound, imbued with life, dances freely... No matter which performance,

Mantani's playing has a great groove. And it carries the listener along naturally. " 

Yomiuri Shimbun

Japanese pianist Eri Mantani, born in Osaka, began playing the piano at the age of four. She studied with Yu Kakuno at the Tokyo University of the Arts and with Bernd Zack at the University of Music and Theatre Rostock. There, she completed her Konzertexamen with distinction, supported by scholarships from the Yamaha Music Foundation and the Rohm Music Foundation. She received further artistic inspiration in masterclasses with Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jörg Demus, Alexander Jenner, and Arnulf von Arnim.

Eri Mantani won in 2010 the second prize at the 29th “Alessandro Casagrande” International Piano Competition in Terni (the first prize was not awarded), and also received a special prize for the best interpretation of Schubert. Further successes include top prizes at the Liszt Competition in Breslau, 1st Prize at the Romanian Music Competition in Tokyo, prizes at the Schubert Competition in Dortmund and the Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, as well as a diploma at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw.

As a soloist, she performs regularly in Europe and Asia and appears at renowned festivals and concert series, including in Raiding, Rouen, Milan, Breslau, and Bucharest. She has appeared with orchestras such as the North German Philharmonic Orchestra Rostock, the Abruzzo Symphony Orchestra, the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra. In chamber music, she has performed at venues such as the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg.

Her performances have been broadcast by broadcasters such as NDR Kultur, Radio France, and NHK-FM.

For her recital featuring works by Schubert and Liszt (Sonata in B minor) at the Baroque Hall in Kyoto, she received the Aoyama Music Award in 2015, one of Japan’s most prestigious music prizes. In 2009, she was awarded the Prize of the Critics for her recital at Izumi Hall in Osaka, a highly regarded distinction in the Japanese music scene.

Her recordings, including East Side Rhapsody – Liszt & Enescu and Domenico Scarlatti Sonatas (MDG), have received international acclaim.

Since 2007, Eri Mantani has been teaching at the University of Music and Theatre Rostock.

She lives in Berlin and is co-founder and artistic director of the Berlin-Weißensee Piano Festival .

Webseite: www.erimantani.com