“She doesn’t only play the piano,” wrote a critic who was present at this December 2000 recital by the French pianist Hélène Grimaud. “She feels it and she lives it. Every single note proves her devotion to perfection”. Grimaud was still a rising star when she gave this performance at the Kammermusiksaal of the Berlin Philharmonie, but her very personal brand of artistry – her spontaneity, her sense of colour, her technical perfection – was already fully formed. Bach and Rachmaninoff frame sonatas by Brahms and Beethoven: a typically wide-ranging programme from a pianist whose technique is matched only by her imagination.
RCO: Andris Nelsons conducts Rachmaninoff
Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons made his first appearance with the RCO to great acclaim in 2008 and has returned regularly ever since. The soloist is the celebrated tenor Ian Bostridge, who is sure to shine brightly in the exceptionally beautiful Les illuminations by BRITTEN, who was born 100 years ago. Britten’s work makes for a fascinating contrast with the Slavic energy of RACHMANINOFF’s Symphonic Dances. Also on the programm Claude DEBUSSY’s Six épigraphes antiques (UNITEL Cat. No. A865500050000)
Piano Duos at the Teatro Colón – Martha Argerich & Daniel Barenboim
“Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim wow their hometown of Buenos Aires” proclaimed the FAZ newspaper. This is the first time the two musicians have performed together in the city of their birth. So this concert, which formed part of the Festival de Música y Reflexión was a sort of “home game” for them, and one for which Argentinians had waited long. “The opera house has not been so packed for a long time as for the concerts featuring these two great artists.” (FAZ) “The Colón seemed to burst at the seams”. (Buenos Aires Herald) Martha Argerich delights the audience as “the untamed lioness of the keyboard” no less than Daniel Barenboim, who radiates “an unusually exuberant sparkling sound” (FAZ). Works by Mozart, Schubert and Stravinsky were followed by frenetic demands from the audience for encores and so, accompanied by three musicians from the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Argerich and Barenboim gave Schumann’s Variations for two pianos, Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 and pieces by Guastavino and Milhaud. The Buenos Aires Herald summed up: a “grand tour de force”.
Kirill Gerstein & Mao Fujita in Recital
Experience an extraordinary evening of piano artistry as acclaimed pianist Kirill Gerstein appears with his brilliant protégé Mao Fujita at the Ark Hall, Tokorozawa Civic Cultural Centre. This special concert offers a rare glimpse into the powerful artistic bond between master and student. A recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award and professor at Berlin’s Hanns Eisler Hochschule, Gerstein is internationally celebrated for his imaginative interpretations and distinctive blend of classical and jazz influences. Mao Fujita, silver medalist at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition, has rapidly emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation. Schubert: Variations Op. 46; Schumann: Andante and Variations Op. 46; Ravel: La Valse; Busoni: Duettino concertante based on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 19; Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances Op. 45; Debussy: Lindaraja; Rachmaninoff: Waltz for 4 Hands Op.11, No.4
Odeonsplatz Concert 2025: Lahav Shani & Lisa Batiashvili
For 25 years, the Odeonsplatz Concert has been an open-air highlight of the classical music summer, attracting over 16,000 viewers each year. In balmy summer temperatures, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, led by its designated chief conductor Lahav Shani, delivered a radiant performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with star soloist Lisa Batiashvili, whose interpretation held the audience spellbound. The evening culminated in a powerful rendition of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, filling the stage with sweeping orchestral colour. “Powerful and magical” (Münchner Merkur) PROGRAM Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major; Massenet: Meditation from Thaïs; Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45; Dvorak : Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8
Stars of Tomorrow presented by Rolando Villazón – Episode 15
George Frideric Handel Vivo from Suite No. 1, “Water Music” Soloists: German Hornsound (Germany) / Vincenzo Bellini “Care compagne” from “La sonnambula” Soloist: Kristina Mkhitaryan (Russia) / Claude Debussy Prélude “La fille aux cheveux de lin” Soloist: Andreas Ottensamer (Austria) / Georg Philipp Telemann Largo and Presto from Viola Concerto in G major Soloist: Hwayoon Lee (Korea) / Niccolò Paganin Presto from Caprice No. 16 in G major Soloist: Hwayoon Lee (Korea) / Edward Grieg “Morning Mood” from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Soloist: Andreas Ottensamer (Austria) / Sergei Rachmaninoff Romance No. 10: “Before my Window” Soloist: Kristina Mkhitaryan (Russia)
/ Giuseppe Verdi “Sempre libera” from “La traviata” Soloist: German Hornsound (Germany) / Gioachino Rossini La danza from “Les soirées musicales” Soloist: Andreas Ottensamer (Austria)
Lorenzo Viotti conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker
“The Wiener Philharmoniker are phenomenal anyway. Under Lorenzo Viotti they were intoxicating: the strings sizzled, the audience raved” (Hamburger Abendblatt) Lorenzo Viotti makes a striking debut with the Wiener Philharmoniker, starting with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, which captivates the audience with its dynamic contrasts. He then shifts to Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead, transforming it into a “theater of sound.” Finally, with Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7, Viotti showcases his temperament, balancing powerful fortissimo and soft, clear accents. PROGRAM: Rimsky-Korsakov – Capriccio espagnol; Rachmaninoff – Isle of the Dead; Dvorak – Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70
Salzburg Festival 2023: Daniil Trifonov
Grammy Award-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov has made a spectac ular ascent of the classical music world. Combining consummate technique with rare sensitivity and depth, his performances are a perpetual source of awe. “He has everything and more, […] tender ness and also the demonic element. I never heard anything like that,” marveled pianist Martha Argerich. In this Salzburg recital, the “keyboard magician” (Salzburger Nachrichten) spans the spectrum between classical and early modern. Works from Mozart, Schumann and Tchaikovsky to Skriabin, Ravel and Rachmaninoff are performed – a “witch’s work of pianistic virtuosity”. (Standard)
Evgeny Kissin plays Bach, Mozart, Chopin & Rachmaninoff
In this piano recital, master pianist Evgeny Kissin spans the programme from Bach to Mozart to Chopin and Rachmaninoff. For the latter, Kissin makes a passionate commitment in the year of the composer’s 150th birthday: “Rachmaninoff’s music”, he says, “has a quality that speaks directly to people. There are no language barriers”. With the selection of one piece, Kissin consciously positions himself against Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. Chopin’s Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44, became part of the recital at short notice. Composed in 1841, it was written at a time when Poland was in a similar situation as Ukraine is now: Warsaw was occupied by Russian troops. “Goosebumps, new insights, unanimous cheers” (Frankfurter Neue Presse)
Horowitz in Moscow
A recording of Horowitz’s historic recital in Moscow, the program also includes highlights of his return to his native Soviet Union-his first visit in 61 years.On the programme works by Scarlatti, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, Moszowski.