Valery Vladimirovich Kastelsky was a Soviet and Russian pianist born on 12 May 1941 in Moscow, in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, USSR. He died on 17 February 2001 in Moscow, Russia. He was known as a distinguished concert pianist and later became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory.
In 1958 he graduated with a gold medal from the Gnessin Music School, where he studied in the class of E. S. Kantorovich. In 1963 he graduated with honors from the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Heinrich Neuhaus, and in 1965 he completed postgraduate studies there. He later headed the piano department of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory from 2000 to 2001.
While still a conservatory student, Kastelsky took part in major international competitions and became a prize-winner at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1960, the Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris in 1963, and the Bavarian Radio Competition in Munich in 1967. These achievements established his reputation as a pianist of high technical and artistic level.
Kastelsky toured widely both within the Soviet Union and abroad. His concert travels included appearances in France, Germany, the United States, Japan, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Singapore, Belgium, Cuba, Finland, and other countries. A large part of his repertoire was devoted to Romantic composers, reflecting his affinity for that tradition.
The Melodiya label released ten records of Kastelsky's performances of works by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Scriabin, Brahms, and Ravel. He received the honorary title Заслуженный артист РСФСР in 1984 and was named People's Artist of the Russian Federation in 2000 for his major contributions to the arts. He was buried at Vagankovo Cemetery in Moscow.