2024 Gilmore Artist Alexandre Kantorow Sets United States Tour
Kantorow will make his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut as soloist in Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini on January 24.
By: Josh Sharpe Jan. 07, 2025
Pianist Alexandre Kantorow, winner of the 2024 Gilmore Artist Award, appears throughout the United States in both concerto performances and in recital from late January to early February 2025. In these concerts, the French pianist — described by Gramophone as “the real deal, a fire-breathing virtuoso with a poetic charm and innate stylistic mastery” — will perform works by Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Liszt, Bartók, and Bach. The tour follows the November 1 release of Kantorow’s album on BIS Records, Brahms & Schubert, featuring his interpretations of Brahms’ Piano Sonata No. 1, Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, and Liszt transcriptions of Schubert lieder.
From January 24–26, 2025 at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Kantorow makes his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut as soloist in Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, conducted by Eun Sun Kim. Celebrated for its imaginative variations on Paganini’s 24th Caprice, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody blends virtuosic demands with lyrical beauty. Kantorow’s recent performance of the work in Singapore, conducted by Jaap Van Zweden, was acclaimed as “a virtuoso outing through and through” (Bachtrack), with his interpretation of the famous 18th Variation praised for its “tenderness and great beauty” (The Straits Times).
Following the LA Phil appearances, Kantorow embarks on a short recital tour with stops in Houston presented by Dacamera on January 28, Rochester presented by Eastman School of Music on January 30, and Chicago presented by the Chicago Symphony on February 2, performing works by Brahms, Liszt, Bartók, Rachmaninoff, and J.S. Bach. The program begins with Brahms' stormy Rhapsody in B Minor, painting a vivid picture of nature’s tumult and calm, followed by Liszt's “Chasse-neige” and “Vallée d’Obermann,” evoking the imagery of a blizzard and the Swiss Alps. Bartók's monumental Rhapsody adds folk-inspired rhythms, while Rachmaninoff's rarely performed Piano Sonata No. 1, initially titled “Faust,” presents a narrative with its movements representing Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles. The program concludes with Brahms' left-hand transcription of Bach’s D-minor Chaconne, a piece Kantorow performed in his Carnegie Hall Stern recital debut, which The New York Times described as “rigorous yet rich.”
To conclude this winter US stint, Kantorow returns to Kalamazoo — home of The Gilmore — on February 5, 2025, to perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Julian Kuerti. Kantorow opens the Gilmore-presented concert with Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 1, also heard on his recital tour program. Kantorow has been called “a Brahms interpreter of unusual insight and distinctiveness” by The Guardian. At age 22, he won the first prize, gold medal, and Grand Prix at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, due in part to his performance of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2.
Alexandre Kantorow is the ninth Gilmore Artist Award recipient, following in the footsteps of internationally renowned pianists such as Igor Levit, Kirill Gerstein, and Leif Ove Andsnes. The Award is presented to an exceptional pianist regardless of age or nationality. A new Gilmore Artist is named every four years, following a rigorous and confidential selection process. The pianist selected as the Gilmore Artist Award receives $300,000 — $50,000 in cash to be used at the artist's discretion and an additional $250,000 for projects and activities that will enhance his or her musicianship and career.
ALEXANDRE KANTOROW’S LA PHIL DEBUT
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Eun Sun Kim, conductor
Alexandre Kantorow, piano
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 3
NICO MUHLY Concerto Grosso (world premiere)
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
ALEXANDRE KANTOROW’S US RECITAL TOUR
Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 8:00 pm
Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center
Presented by Dacamera
Houston, TX
JOHANNES BRAHMS Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1
FRANZ LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 12 in B Minor (Chasse-neige)
FRANZ LISZT Vallée d'Obermann from Années de pèlerinage, Première année, Suisse
BÉLA BARTÓK Rhapsody, Op. 1
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (ARR. JOHANNES BRAHMS) Chaconne in D Minor for the Left Hand
Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Kilbourn Hall at Eastman Theatre
Presented by Eastman School of Music
Rochester, NY
JOHANNES BRAHMS Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1
FRANZ LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 12 in B Minor (Chasse-neige)
FRANZ LISZT Vallée d'Obermann from Années de pèlerinage, Première année, Suisse
BÉLA BARTÓK Rhapsody, Op. 1
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (ARR. JOHANNES BRAHMS) Chaconne in D Minor for the Left Hand
Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 3:00 pm
Symphony Center
Presented by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago, IL
JOHANNES BRAHMS Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1
FRANZ LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 12 in B Minor (Chasse-neige)
FRANZ LISZT Vallée d'Obermann from Années de pèlerinage, Première année, Suisse
BÉLA BARTÓK Rhapsody, Op. 1
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (ARR. JOHANNES BRAHMS) Chaconne in D Minor for the Left Hand
THE GILMORE & ALEXANDRE KANTOROW
Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Chenery Auditorium
Presented by The Gilmore
Kalamazoo, MI
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Julian Kuerti, conductor
Alexandre Kantorow, piano
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28
JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83
About Alexandre Kantorow
Alexandre Kantorow has been lauded for his innate poetic charm, luminous clarity, and stunning virtuosity. He is the winner of the 2024 Gilmore Artist Award, the youngest pianist and the first French artist to receive this accolade. In 2019, at the age of 22, he was the first French pianist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, also receiving the Grand Prix.
Kantorow has performed with some of the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the BBC Proms in London, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mariinsky Orchestra, and Budapest Festival Orchestra. He has also performed on prestigious international tours with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with the Orchestre National de France. In recital, he performs in major concert halls such as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Vienna's Konzerthaus, Philharmonie de Paris, Brussels' Bozar, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, and at the most prestigious festivals including La Roque d'Anthéron, Ravinia Festival, Verbier Festival, and Klavier-Festival Ruhr.
In addition to this U.S. tour, highlights of his 2024-25 season include a European tour with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, and his debut with the Orchestre Metropolitain under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He will also perform Brahms' Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and perform in China for the first time with performances in Beijing and Shanghai.
Kantorow records exclusively with BIS and his many albums featuring solo works by Brahms, Bartók, and Liszt, his à la Russe recital recording, and his recordings of all five of Saint-Saëns’ concertos have received numerous awards including the Diapason d’Or, Trophée Radio Classique, Choc de l’Année (Classica), Diapason découverte (Diapason), Supersonic (Pizzicato), and CD des Doppelmonats (PianoNews).
In 2024, he was made Chevalier del'Ordre National du Mérite by the French President. Two years earlier, in 2022, he had been honored with the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture. In July 2024, Alexandre performed at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games. He is a laureate of the Safran Foundation and Banque Populaire. In 2022, he became artistic director of the “Les Rencontres Musicales de Nîmes” festival with violinist Liya Petrova and cellist Aurélien Pascal.
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