In 1970 Garrick Ohlsson – a gangly pianist from White Plains, New York, all of 22 and unknown beyond his hometown – pulled off an astonishing feat: from nowhere he won the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, the only American to have done so. He somehow missed the announcement, a kindly audience member informing him that his life would never be quite the same.
In the subsequent 50 years Ohlsson has owned Chopin’s music like few others, playing it with authority, humility, a sense of discovery and deep commitment.
Ohlsson has other heroes too. Scriabin is one such example, his powerful, impressionistic music an ideal match for Ohlsson’s authoritative playing. He adores Barber and Schubert, Debussy and Liszt too, choosing this Australian tour for his first performance of the latter’s Sonata in B Minor in many years. His program also features a new work by the Australian composer Thomas Mission.
Piano Garrick Ohlsson
Schuber Impromptu in C Minor, Op. 90, No. 1
Liszt Piano Sonata in B Minor, S.178
Thomas Mission New Work*
Scriabin Étude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 2, No. 1
Scriabin Étude in D-Flat Major, Op. 8, No. 10
Scriabin Étude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 42, No. 5
Scriabin Two Poems, Op. 32: Andante cantabile
Scriabin Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 5
*World premiere performance. Commissioned for Musica Viva Australia by Stephen Johns for his wife, Michele.
His performance was a marvel of virtuosity, and he played with Olympian serenity and equanimity, dispatching the most strenuous passages with apparent ease.
Lights, Camera, Action! Cinematic is back for a fifth year of film favourites with conductor and host Nicholas Buc.
Celebrate Christmas through song with Opera Queensland.
Under the baton of Chief Conductor Umberto Clerici, immerse yourself in Beethoven's exploration of human emotion, culminating in the glorious finale, Ode to Joy.
Don't miss the dynamic piano duo of Liam Viney and Anna Grinberg, known for their international performance profile and innovative collaborations.
Hear songs by Schumann, Fanny Hensel, Strauss, Debussy, and Ravel, inspired first by Italy, then Spain, and the rest of the Mediterranean.
Celebrate the festive season with Bach's sublime Christmas Oratorio, conducted by Benjamin Bayl.
Don’t miss the beloved Christmas romcom, The Holiday presented live in concert this festive season with the film’s legendary Hans Zimmer score played live-to-film by Southern Cross Symphony.
An evening of love, laughter, drama and la dolce vita with The Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program.