G r a n d s   p i a n i s t e s

RECENTLY
at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue

The Washington Performing Arts Society presents:
Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard

   Program

Richard Wagner: Sonata in A-flat Major, "Für das Album von Frau MW"
Alban Berg: Piano Sonata, op.1
Alexander Scriabin: Piano Sonata No.9, "Messe noire"
Franz Liszt:
- La Lugubre Gondola
- Nuages gris
- Unstern! Sinistre, disastro, for piano, S. 208
- Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178

   Press Reviews

"[His] crystalline technique was exemplary, his tone elegantly understated, the music blissfully unhurried and full of nuances that underlined the tragedy every bit as much as the poetry... The total absence of egotism on Aimard’s part as he applauded the efforts of conductor and orchestra further revealed the profound integrity of this extraordinary musician." — The Guardian

"Aimard returned in the second half with Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand... Ravel accepted the constraint as a challenge, and he gives the left hand a workout, with many passages deftly mirroring the effect of two-handed playing. Aimard’s performance was alert, sharply etched, and remarkably virtuosic." — Boston Globe

   About the artist

   Widely acclaimed as a key figure in the music of our time and as a uniquely significant interpreter of piano répertoires from every age, Pierre-Laurent Aimard enjoys an internationally celebrated career which transcends traditional boundaries. Performing throughout the world each season with the most significant orchestras and conductors, Pierre-Laurent has in recent seasons been invited by Carnegie Hall, Wiener Konzerthaus and Cité de la musique to devise and perform in groundbreaking residencies.

   Highlights of the 2010/11 season include solo recitals in Berlin, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris, Tokyo and Vienna. He will reappear with the Cleveland Orchestra in a three-week tour in the United States under Franz Welser-Möst, and give concerts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Filarmonica della Scala, NHK Symphony, New York Philharmonic and Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

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Photo courtesy of Felix Broede / DG