Rubinstein Prize-Winner Pianist Boris Giltburg Gives NY Solo Recital Debut at Carnegie

Silver-prize and audience-prize winner at the 2011 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, critically acclaimed pianist Boris Giltburggives his New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall on October 27 with an all-Russian program, presented by the American Friends of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society. The program includes works by Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Scriabin, as well as Giltburg's own piano arrangement of Shostakovich'sString Quartet No. 8 in C minor.

Boris Giltburg's recently released Rachmaninov CD on Naxos was selected as BBC Music Magazine's Instrumental Choice for August, as well as Gramophone's Recording of the Month in June. Gramophone wrote: "This vision will place him among the truly memorable Rachmaninov interpreters, an elect including Moiseiwitsch, Horowitz, Kappel, Richter and Cliburn. His originality stems from a convergence of heart and mind, served by immaculate technique and motivated by a deep and abiding love for one of the 20th century's greatest composer-pianists." In 2015, he became an exclusive recording artist for Naxos Records. A video of Mr. Giltburg performing Rachmaninov's Etude - Tableau, Op. 33, No. 2 can be viewed here, and he has written a blog for BBC Music about why these works are so meaningful (see excerpt below):

"The études-tableaux constituting Op. 39 are many things simultaneously. Short stories; captivating, meticulously crafted to trim all excess, yet having enough material to lead us into fully believable worlds. Movies, with accomplished cinematography and lighting...Tone paintings, with Rachmaninov utilizing a huge breadth of piano techniques and textures, weaving multiple voices, melodies and harmonies into a rich aural tapestry. And perhaps also dreams, in the way they come with a tangible, distilled atmosphere and mood, created right away, by the very first notes of each piece; similar to those of our dreams that come with a strong emotional association, one which requires no grounds or explanation-we just know."

Born in Moscow in 1984 and raised in Tel Aviv from an early age, Mr. Giltburg has won numerous international competitions, including first prize at the 2013 Queen Elisabeth Competition and second prize and audience prize at the 2002 Santander International Piano Competition. He has appeared with many leading orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra (London), Israel Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Swedish Radio Symphony, Danish Radio Symphony and Indianapolis Symphony. Boris Giltburg made his BBC Proms debut in 2010, has toured regularly to South America and China, and to Germany with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. In the months following his Queen Elisabeth win, he played at the Vienna Musikverein, Leipzig Gewandhaus, London Southbank Centre, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Colmar Festival, and with the Seattle Symphony, London Philharmonic and Saint Petersburg Philharmonic orchestras. Recent highlights include debuts with the NHK Symphony Tokyo, Baltimore Symphony and Rotterdam Philharmonic, as well as his recital debut in Tokyo at Toppan Hall. Mr. Giltburg has worked with conductors such as Alsop, B?lohlávek, Brabbins, De Waart, Dohnanyi, Fedoseyev, Gimeno, Neeme Jaervi, Karabits, Krivine, Lintu, Petrenko, Saraste, Shelley, Skrowaczewski, Sokhiev and Tortelier.

The Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition began in 1974 at the initiative of Jan Jacob Bistritzky, whose aim was to unite the name and the artistic legacy of Arthur Rubinstein with the cultural life of Israel. Conceived in the spirit of this legendary pianist and launched with his blessing, this triennial event in Tel Aviv is committed to attaining standards of the highest order and is a respected international forum for presenting talented, aspiring young pianists and fostering their careers. The Arthur Rubinstein Award and other prizes are given to young pianists whose skills reveal outstanding musicianship as well as the ability to render versatile, artistically superior interpretations of works ranging from the pre-classical to the contemporary. Since its inception, the Competition has commissioned 19 works by Israeli composers. Previous notable first-prize winners of the Competition include Emanuel Ax (who won during its inaugural year), Jeffrey Kahane, Kirill Gerstein and Daniil Trifonov. The 15th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition will be held from April 25 - May 11, 2017.

CONCERT PROGRAM:

Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 7:30 PM
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall

RACHMANINOV: 9 Études-Tableaux, Op. 39SCRIABIN: Sonata No. 4, Op. 30SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 (arr. for piano solo B. Giltburg) PROKOFIEV: Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83

Admission: $25-$50

Tickets on sale at carnegiehall.org, CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 and at the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.
Photo credit: Sasha Gusov.

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