Tchaikovsky Competition Winner Alexandre Kantorow to Step in For Murray Perahia at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall today announced that pianist Alexandre Kantorow, recent gold medal and Grand Prix winner at the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition, will step in for pianist Murray Perahia, appearing in recital on Wednesday, March 25 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. Mr. Perahia regretfully had to withdraw from his upcoming recital due to medical reasons. Mr. Kantorow will perform works by Brahms, Liszt, Fauré, and Stravinsky. The complete updated program information is below.

In an official statement, Mr. Perahia said, "To my North American fans, it is with regret that I have to cancel my upcoming recitals for medical reasons. I hope to be able to return before too long and thank you for your continued support."

About the Artist

At 22 years old, Alexandre Kantorow is the first French pianist to win the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition as well as the Grand Prix, awarded only three times before in the competition's history. Already hailed by critics as the "young tsar of the piano" (Classica) and "Liszt reincarnate" (Fanfare), he has received numerous other awards and is already being invited at the highest level worldwide.

Even before the competition, Mr. Kantorow had already been attracting attention. He began his career at an early stage and at 16 made his debut at La Folle Journée festival in Nantes. Since then he has played with many of the world's major orchestras, including regularly the Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev, and highlights in this and future seasons include the Orchestre de Paris, Staatskapelle Berlin, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and tours with the Orchestre National de Toulouse, Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic.

In recital he appears at major concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam in their Master Pianists series, Konzerthaus Berlin, Philharmonie de Paris, BOZAR in Brussels, Stockholm Konserthus and at the most prestigious festivals including La Roque d'Anthéron, Piano aux Jacobins, Verbier Festival and Klavierfest Ruhr.

He records exclusively with BIS, to great critical acclaim, and his most recent recording of Saint-Saëns has received Diapason d'Or and Choc Classica of the year. His à la Russe recital recording won numerous awards and distinctions including Choc de l'Année (Classica), Diapason découverte (Diapason), Supersonic (Pizzicato) and CD des Doppelmonats (PianoNews). For BIS he has also recorded Liszt concerti, with a forthcoming recital including rhapsodies by Brahms, Bartók and Liszt.

Alexandre Kantorow is a laureate of the Safran Foundation and Banque Populaire, and in 2019 was named 'Musical Revelation of the Year' by the Professional Critics Association.

Born in France and of French-British heritage, he has studied with Pierre-Alain Volondat, Igor Lazko, Franck Braley and Rena Shereshevskaya.

Program Information

Wednesday, March 25 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Alexandre Kantorow, Piano

JOHANNES BRAHMS Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1
FRANZ LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 12 in B Minor, "Chasse-Neige"
GABRIEL FAURÉ Nocturne No. 6 in D-flat Major, Op. 63
IGOR STRAVINSKY Three Movements from The Firebird (arr. Agosti)
JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5

In honor of the centenary of his birth, Carnegie Hall's 2019-2020 season is dedicated to the memory of Isaac Stern in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to Carnegie Hall, arts advocacy, and the field of music.

Ticket Information

Tickets, priced at $40-$131, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

Photo Credit: Jean-Baptiste Millot.