New Generation Piano Recital - Behzod Abduraimov
- Date
- 7 December 2017 – 8:30pm
- Place
- Auditorium
‘Fingers of fire’. That is how critics describe the young Behzod Abduraimov. With training combining Russian, German and American traditions, the young Uzbek pianist won the 2009 London International Piano Competition.
Drawing attention for his phenomenal presence and his jubilatory rhythmic energy, he is today an ambassador for piano and orchestra pieces, such as those of Liszt, including the monumental Sonata in B minor, and of Prokofiev. Reuniting these two rhythmicists in a single evening is not an easy exercise. Between the metaphysical examinations of Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, with its portrait of Goethe’s Faust and Mephistopheles, and the burning energy of Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 6, a serious challenge awaits Behzod Abduraimov.
The artist
Behzod Abduraimov
Piano
Described by The Times as the “master of all he surveys” and with The Washington Post noting to “keep your ear on this one”, Behzod’s captivating performances continue to receive international praise.
Recent seasons have seen Behzod work with leading orchestras worldwide, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, NHK Symphony and Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestras, and prestigious conductors including Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Manfred Honeck, Vasily Petrenko, James Gaffigan, Jakub Hrusa, Thomas Dausgaard and Vladimir Jurowski. Last season he made his debut with the Münchner Philharmoniker under Gergiev featuring in their new 360 degree Festival and subsequently made his BBC Proms debut with them.
Upcoming European highlights include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio, Philharmonia, Czech Philharmonic and earlier this season he appeared with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester as part of the Elbphilharmonie opening. In recital he is one of the featured artists for the Junge Wilde series at the Konzerthaus Dortmund and will be presented in recital at the main halls of the Barbican, London and Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
In North America this season’s recitals have included the Stern Auditorium following his debut success at Carnegie Hall in 2015, and for the Cliburn Concerts, Carolina Performing Arts, the Vancouver Recital series. He has appeared in concerts with the Houston Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Minnesota Orchestra, among others. This summer he will appear at the Hollywood Bowl, Blossom and Ravinia Festivals. Forthcoming engagements include San Francisco Symphony and returns to Dallas and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras.
In 2017 Behzod will tour to Asia for performances with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra, Beijing and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and also embark upon a recital tour of Australia.
An award-winning recording artist – his debut recital CD won both the Choc de Classica and the Diapason Découverte – Behzod released his first concerto disc in 2014 on Decca Classics which features Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3 and Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1 with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai under Juraj Valčuha.
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1990, Behzod began to play the piano at the age of five as a pupil of Tamara Popovich at Uspensky State Central Lyceum in Tashkent. He is an alumnus of Park University’s International Center for Music where he studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch, and now serves as the ICM’s artist-in-residence.
Partners
The programme
- Richard Wagner / arr. Franz Liszt
- Isolde's Liebestod
- Franz Liszt
- Sonata in B minor S.178
- Franz Schubert
- Moment musical D. 780 no. 2
- Franz Schubert / arr. Franz Liszt
- Valse Caprice no. 6
- Serge Prokofiev
- Sonata no. 6 op.82
