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.
Qld Pops takes the stage for Brisbane’s jewel in the crown: a special 40th Anniversary New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, returning in 2024.
Celebrating timeless beauty and energy, this is a favourites concert not to be missed.
Second show just announced! Join Max Richter as he performs works from The Blue Notebooks and from his newly released album, In A Landscape.
Karin Schaupp premieres Gerard Brophy’s Guitar Concerto.
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, joined by teenage violin sensation Chloe Chua, make their highly anticipated Australian debut in February 2025.
Brahms’s Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 form an epic opener to the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary Season.
The Rite of Spring, Igor Stravinsky’s ballet marvel, sent shockwaves through the course of 20th century music.
What a swell party this is! Join the Southern Cross Soloists for a Viennese birthday celebration featuring singing, dancing and laughing.