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. He performs regularly with distinguished period ensembles including Freiburger Barockorchester, the B’Rock Baroque Orchestra, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the Utopia Orchestra.
As a soloist, Alexander Melnikov has performed with orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Philadelphia Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, hr-Sinfonieorchester in Frankfurt, Münchner Philharmoniker, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra 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, he has developed a unique four-hand piano programme consisting entirely of works by Schubert, which they perform regularly in concert. For Alexander Melnikov, an intensive chamber music partnership with the cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras is an indispensable part of his work.
Equally important to him are chamber music concerts with his long-standing duo partner Isabelle Faust.Having won amongst other accolades an 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.
Alexander 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, he recorded a trilogy of albums featuring the Schumann Concertos and Trios (published in 2015 and 2016) 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, a recording of Schumann's Piano Quartet and Quintet, with Isabelle Faust, Anne Katharina Schreiber, Antoine Tamestit and Jean-Guihen Queyras was released in 2023, as well as an album with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin including Emilie Mayer’s Piano Concerto in September 2026.
In the 2026/27 season, Alexander Melnikov will appear with leading orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne, Warsaw Philharmonic, and Dresdner Philharmonie. He will collaborate with conductors Maxim Emelyanychev, Duncan Ward, Pablo Heras-Casado, Marie Jacquot, Aurel Dawidiuk, and Delyana Lazarova, and will direct performances from the piano.
Alexander Melnikov continues his extensive chamber music activities in a wide range of collaborations with artists including Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras, and Julia Lezhneva. Together with Lezhneva, he recently released "Visiting Rachmaninov" (2025) on harmonia mundi, the first recording of Rachmaninov’s songs made on the composer’s own piano at his Villa Senar.
The season is rounded off by performances at Wigmore Hall, the Barbican Centre, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and the Philharmonie Luxembourg. Highlights also include an Asian tour with Utopia Orchestra and Teodor Currentzis, as well as an Australian tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.