Vladimir Vsevolodovitch Kraïnev was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist and educator born on April 1, 1944, in Krasnoyarsk. He studied at the Moscow Central Music School and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory under Heinrich Neuhaus. Kraïnev received awards at the Leeds International Piano Competition (1963) and the Vianna da Motta International Music Competition (1964). In 1970, he won the gold medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. His career included performances with conductors Pierre Boulez and Bernard Haitink and collaborations with Gidon Kremer and Natalia Gutman. Kraïnev recorded the album Prokofiev: The 5 Piano Concertos between 1991 and 1992. He taught at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover and established the Vladimir Kraïnev International Competition for Young Pianists in 1992. In 1994, he created the Vladimir Kraïnev International Fund for Young Pianists. Kraïnev died on April 29, 2011, in Hannover.
