In October of 2005, Rafal Blechacz emerged as the undisputed winner of the 15th Frédéric Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland (to emphasise his outstanding performance in comparison with the other contestants, the international panel of judges decided not to award the second prize). All of the special prizes of the competition went to him: the Polish Radio Prize for the Best Mazurka Performance, the Frédéric Chopin Society Prize for the Best Polonaise, the Polish National Philharmonic Prize for the Best Concert Performance, and the Krystian Zimerman Prize for the Best Sonata Performance. He also won the Audience Award at the competition.
His 2005 victory in Warsaw gave him access to the most famous and prestigious concert halls in the world, playing with the best symphony orchestras and under the direction of acclaimed conductors such as Valery Gergev, Mikhail Pletnev, Charles Dutoit, David Zinman, Fabio Luisi, Jerzy Semkow and Trevor Pinnock. In July of 2010, he received the prestigious Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana Prize (Siena, Italy).
In 2006, the artist signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, becoming only the second Polish artist to do so after Krystian Zimerman. His first CD with Deutsche Grammophon, featuring all the preludes by Frédéric Chopin, earned him the Echo Klassik and the Diapason d'Or awards. His CD featuring the two Chopin concertos in conjunction with the Concertgebouw Orchestra was awarded the Preisder Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. In July of 2012, his CD Debussy/Szymanowski received the ECHO Klassik Award in the Piano Solo Category. On April 25, 2013 and in relationship with the same album, the Fryderyk (the most prestigious award in the field of music in Poland) was granted to him in the Best Classical Album of the Year category. His album entitled “Chopin: Polonaises Numbers 1-7” and released on September 6, 2013 by Deutsche Grammophon was awarded the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, being a Quarterly Critics' Choice of 2013. On January 8, 2014 in New York, Rafal Blechacz was given the 2014 Gilmore Artist Award. Highly regarded in the world of piano music, this award is given to the most distinguished artists, along with financial support for their further artistic activity.
In February of 2017, he released an album with pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach: a magnificent Bach collection made up of mostly well known pieces like the "Italian Concerto" and the arrangement by Hess of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Exquisite, crystalline pianism and impeccable performances. This is an outstanding addition to Blechacz's discography. - Robert E. Benson, Classicalcdreview.com / March 1, 2017.
His latest CD with pieces by Fauré, Debussy, Szymanowski, and Chopin, together with the Korean violinist Bomsori Kim, was launched in January of 2019.