Alexander Melnikov completed his studies at the Moscow Conservatory under Lev Naumov. One of his most formative musical experiences in Moscow includes an early encounter with Svjatoslav Richter, who thereafter regularly invited him to festivals in Russia and France. He is the recipient of multiple prestigious awards at eminent competitions such as the International Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau (1989) and the Concours Musical Reine Elisabeth in Brussels (1991).

Known for his often unusual musical and programmatic decisions, Alexander Melnikov developed his career-long interest in historically informed performance practice early on. His major influences in this field include Andreas Staier and Alexei Lubimov. Melnikov performs regularly with distinguished period ensembles including the Freiburger Barockorchester, Musica Aeterna and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

As a soloist, Alexander Melnikov has performed with orchestras including the Koninklijk Concertgebouw Orkest Amsterdam, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Philadelphia Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, HR-Sinfonieorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, under conductors such as Mikhail Pletnev, Teodor Currentzis, Charles Dutoit, Paavo Järvi, Thomas Dausgaard, Maxim Emelyanychev and Vladimir Jurowski.

Together with Andreas Staier, Alexander Melnikov has developed a unique four-hand piano programme consisting entirely of works by Schubert, which they perform regularly in concert. A further chamber music pursuit of great importance to Melnikov is his ongoing collaboration with the cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.

Also of great importance to him is his work together with Isabelle Faust, a duo partner of many years. Having won amongst other accolades the Gramophone Award and having been nominated for a Grammy, their joint recording of the complete Beethoven violin sonatas for harmonia mundi has earned its place as one of the key referenced recordings. Their recording of Brahms’ violin and piano sonatas for was released in 2015, followed by further recordings of the Mozart piano and violin sonatas in 2018 and 2021.

Melnikov’s recording of the Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich was named by the BBC Music Magazine as one of the "50 Greatest Recordings of All Time." Along with Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Pablo Heras-Casado and the Freiburger Barockorchester, Melnikov recorded a trilogy of albums featuring the Schumann Concertos and Trios (published in 2015-16) and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto (2021). Other releases include a complete recording of Prokofiev’s piano sonatas and the album "Fantasie – Seven Composers Seven Keyboards" in which he plays the pieces on the instruments of their time. In addition to this solo album, the CD with Schumann's Piano Quartet, Op. 47 and Piano Quintet, Op. 44 was released in 2023, on which Melnikov can be heard together with Isabelle Faust, Anne Katharina Schreiber, Antoine Tamestit and Jean-Guihen Queyras.

In the 2025/26 season, Alexander Melnikov will appear with prestigious orchestras including the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, the Utopia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestre National de Lyon, Finnish Baroque Orchestra and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, under the direction of Maxim Emelyanychev, Tabita Berglund, Teodor Currentzis, Hannu Lintu, Natalia Ponomarchuk and Jan Söderblom, as well as directing from the piano himself.

Alexander Melnikov is set to continue his chamber music activities in a wide variety of formations with partners including Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras, the Belcea Quartet, the Cuarteto Casals, the Quatuor Danel and Julia Lezhneva. His latest recording “Visiting Rachmaninov” with Julia Lezhneva (harmonia mundi, 2025), was the first time music for the voice by Rachmaninov was recorded on the composer’s own grand piano in his Villa Senar.
Solo recitals at the Wigmore Hall London, the Flagey Brussels and the Auditorium Lyon round off Alexander Melnikov's season, which also includes an Asian tour with concerts in Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and China.

2025/2026