Events

RAFAEL PAYARE, conductor

VÍKINGUR ÓLAFSSON, piano 

 

Programme: 

Franz Liszt: Les Préludes, S. 97, symphonic poem, No. 3

Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93

 

The Montréal Symphony Orchestra is not only one of the most famous and best orchestras in Canada and North America, but it is celebrated as one of the most significant ones in the world! Founded in 1934, the Orchestra gained fame in 1962 with a European tour conducted by the famous Zubin Mehta. Since then, it has regularly performed in the most prestigious concert venues on all continents! In 2019, the Orchestra celebrated one of the greatest triumphs in its recent history, having given eleven concerts in the nine largest cities of North and South America, conducted by the famous Kent Nagano. Their recordings made for the most famous record companies, such as Decca, CBC Records, ECM, EMI, Philips or Sony, which have won more than fifty national and international awards, are also world-famous! The orchestra is coming to the Saturday at Lisinski concert cycle with its chief conductor Rafael Payare, undoubtedly one of the most talented and sought-after young conductors of today! His career rocketed after winning one of the largest conducting competitions in the world – Nikolai Malko International Competition. Since then, he has appeared as a guest conductor with orchestras of major global music centres, such as Berlin, Vienna, London, Munich, Chicago, Paris or San Diego.  The sweetest cherry on this sumptuous musical cake is the young fantastic pianist with an original name, Víkingur Ólafsson, who comes from the land of ice and fire, volcanoes and geysers – distant and exotic Iceland!  Suffice it to say that The New York Times named Ólafsson Iceland’s Glenn Gould, emphasizing his original way of playing, unique power and impact of his pianism! The Daily Telegraph also lifted the young pianist to Olympic heights, calling him the new superstar of classical piano! The concert program, which includes Liszt's enchanting tonal poem Les Préludes, Ravel's jovial and sparkling Piano Concerto and the dark, but magnificent Symphony No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich, emanating from the hell of repression of Stalin's Soviet Union, promises a magical journey through the exciting and fascinating vastness of music history!