Superstar Classical Pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Garrick Ohlsson in Concert! February 1 and 10

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County proudly presents two special one-night orchestral engagements showcasing the breathtaking virtuosity of two of the most extraordinary pianists of our era. Sought-after French piano virtuoso JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET and GARRICK OHLSSON — the first American to win the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition — will appear as featured soloists performing beloved classical piano concerti with esteemed international orchestras in back-to-back concerts this February in the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall. The performances are presented as part of the 2011-2012 John S. and James L. Knight Masterworks Season, Sanford and Beatrice Ziff Classical Music Series.

 

Hailed as one of the greatest pianists in the world, internationally celebrated pianist JEAN YVES-THIBAUDET will perform as soloist with the esteemed TSCHAIKOWSKI ST. PETERSBURG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, under the baton of Music Director and Conductor ROMAN LEONTIEV on February 1, 2012 at 8 p.m. The program features the large-scale Liszt Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in A major, S. 125, in celebration of the composer’s bicentennial, as well as the Prelude and Liebestod from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade for Orchestra. THIBAUDET’s ability to craft intensely passionate experiences on the piano has led him to become not only a respected performer, but also an in-demand soloist for film scores. The Grammy-nominated virtuoso is featured on the score of the new film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, which opens nationwide in January 2012, as well as the Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning soundtrack of Atonement and Oscar-nominated Pride and Prejudice.

 

On February 10, 2012, Grammy Award-winning pianist GARRICK OHLSSON — widely regarded as one of the world’s leading interpreters of Chopin — will perform Chopin’s brilliant, virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, with Poland’s superb WROCLAW PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTA, led by its Artistic Director and Chief Conductor JACEK KASPSZYK. The program also includes Lutoslawki’s Little Suite and Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 (orch. Schoenberg). Since becoming the first and only American to win the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, OHLSSON has been prominently associated with Chopin’s music and has gained worldwide recognition as one of the finest pianists of his generation. Of the pianist’s recent all-Chopin recital, The New York Times reported “Mr. Ohlsson demonstrated his ability to segue between a light, fleet-fingered touch and meaty, powerful torrents of sound.”

 

Pre-concert lectures, sponsored by Steinway Piano Gallery of Miami, will be given prior to each concert.

Tickets range from $50 to $125 and may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at www.arshtcenter.org.

“We are extremely proud to present today’s foremost ambassadors of classical music in Miami’s acoustically superb Knight Concert Hall,” said M. John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “These phenomenal engagements bring two of the world’s greatest pianists and most distinguished international orchestras to Miami in what promises to be two spectacular evenings of classical music this season.”

Subsequent performances in the SANFORD AND BEATRICE ZIFF CLASSICAL MUSIC SERIES include the venerable MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA and acclaimed violinist MIDORI, celebrating the 30th anniversary of her professional debut, in an exciting program on March 10, 2012; and the grand finale of the classical season features a one-night-only solo piano recital by the inimitable classical music superstar LANG LANG on May 17, 2012.

Known for his profound and poetic artistry, Jean-Yves Thibaudet is highly sought-after by today’s foremost orchestras, conductors, and collaborative musicians for his enlightened interpretations and charismatic performances. The New York Times has exclaimed of THIBAUDET, “every note he fashions is a pearl…the joy, brilliance and musicality of his performance could not be missed.” Highlights of THIBAUDET’s 2011-12 season include a concert with the New York Philharmonic for its PBS-televised New Year’s Eve Gala concert and an engagement with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on February 11, 2012.

Considered one of Russia’s finest artistic ambassadors, the Tschaikowski St. Petersburg SYMPHONY Orchestra was founded in the years following World War II and since then has gained increasing popularity throughout Russia and abroad. Throughout its history, the symphonic ensemble has worked with many of the outstanding conductors from the St. Petersburg Conducting School as well as the most distinguished Russian soloists such as Montserrat Caballé, Sviatoslav Richtner, and Viktor Tretyakov. The orchestra is currently led by Music Director and Chief Conductor ROMAN LEONTIEV, who is widely regarded as one of the pre-eminent Russian conductors of his generation. The Tschaikowski St. Petersburg SYMPHONY Orchestra has led many successful concert tours throughout Europe and Asia and this season embarks on its inaugural trans-continental tour of the U.S. Over the past decade, the orchestra has steadily become an ensemble with unlimited musical possibilities, expanding its repertoire as well as regularly commissioning and premiering new works, a testament to the high standard of the orchestra.

Since his triumph as the first American to win the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition, Garrick Ohlsson has established himself worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, OHLSSON has earned accolades such as the coveted Avery Fisher Prize in 1994, as well as a Grammy Award in 2008 for his recording of the Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 3. Although he has long been regarded as one of the world’s leading exponents of the music of Chopin, he commands an enormous repertoire, which ranges over the entire piano literature. In celebration of the bicentenary of Chopin’s birthday, last season the piano virtuoso presented a series of all-Chopin recitals, which culminated at New York’s Lincoln Center. Highlights of his 2011-12 season include engagements with the New York Philharmonic and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, as well as recitals in Chicago, London and New York, performing works by Liszt in honor of the bicentenary of the composer’s birth.

 

The Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1954, and from the beginning has drawn on the rich musical traditions of its home city which has played host to such great artists as Wagner, Brahms, and Mahler. The orchestral soloists are graduates of the most prestigious European music academies. In addition to its more than 100 concerts annually, the orchestra also performs high-profile engagements in renowned concert halls throughout the world, including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Since 2006, JACEK KASPSZYK has held the post of Artistic Director of the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra. The maestro is the former Artistic and General Director of the Polish National Opera and former Music Director of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is currently a leading guest conductor with the London Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, among others.

 

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