by Timothy Robson
When the lists of notable concerts of the 2015/16 season are drawn up, the joint recital by pianists Maria João Pires and Julien Brocal before a packed Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall should be close to the top of everyone’s list. It was a remarkable concert, both musically and as a model for showcasing outstanding younger musicians. [Read more…]
by Daniel Hathaway
In 2012, after nearly 60 years of concertizing, Portuguese-born concert pianist Maria João Pires cut back on her performances but embarked on a new career as a mentor of young pianists at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, Belgium.
On Thursday, March 10 in Reinberger Chamber Music Hall at Severance Hall, Pires will join 29-year-old French pianist Julien Brocal for a recital in her Partitura Project, a program designed to create opportunities for young musicians to share the concert platform with well-known artists.
Pires will play Beethoven’s final pair of sonatas, Op. 110 and 111, while Brocal will perform Maurice Ravel’s Sonatine and Miroirs. The two pianists will join in Maurice Ravel’s transcription for piano four-hands of Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après midi d’un Faune. [Read more…]