Celebrated Pianist Evgeny Kissin To Perform Solo Recital At Severance

Today, The Cleveland Orchestra announced that acclaimed pianist Evgeny Kissin will perform a solo recital at Severance Music Center's Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Concert Hall on Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

This is Kissin's first performance at Severance in nearly 25 years, and it will feature music by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Mozart. (See below for a complete program listing.) All tickets will go on sale beginning Monday, October 25, with a limited number of on-stage seats available. Pre-sale for Cleveland Orchestra subscribers and donors begins Tuesday, October 19.

Next April's concert will be Mr. Kissin's first solo recital at Severance, coming nearly a quarter of a century after his performances of Beethoven's Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor") with The Cleveland Orchestra and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy in March 1997. "Kissin is a pianist who is as fearless as he is charismatic," wrote Cleveland's Plain Dealer about Mr. Kissin's performances at Severance in 1997. "His fingers overcome virtually every obstacle, from the most daunting octaves to rapid passages that take the breath away."

Mr. Kissin has an extensive repertoire and is especially known for his interpretations of Romantic era composers, including Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, and Beethoven. His recent and upcoming presentations include performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Athens Concert Hall in Greece, Suntory Hall in Japan, Palau de la Musica Catalana in Spain, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in France, Musikverein in Austria, and Victoria Hall in Switzerland.

"He remains one of today's most highly regarded pianists for the intensity and sensitivity of his interpretations," wrote The New York Times earlier this year.

Evgeny Kissin's musicality, the depth and poetic quality of his interpretations, and his extraordinary virtuosity have earned him veneration and admiration as one of the most gifted classical pianists of his generation. He is in demand the world over, and has appeared with many of the world's great orchestras and conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Dimitri Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph von Dohnányi, Carlo Maria Giulini, Lorin Maazel, Ricardo Muti, and Seiji Ozawa.

During the 2021-2022 season, Mr. Kissin gives solo recitals in Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Basel, Madrid, and other European cities with a program featuring music of Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin. He also returns to Asia, where he gives solo recitals in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as North America, where he performs in Vancouver, Cleveland, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, and at Carnegie Hall.

Kissin was born in Moscow and began to play by ear and improvise on the piano at the age of two. At six years old, he entered a special school for gifted children, the Moscow Gnessin School of Music, where he was a student of Anna Pavlovna Kantor, who has been his only teacher. He came to international attention in 1984 when, at the age of twelve, he performed Chopin's Piano Concertos 1 and 2 in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Moscow State Philharmonic. This concert was recorded live by Melodia, and a two-LP album was released the following year. Given the astounding success of this recording, Melodia proceeded to release five more LPs of live performances in Moscow over the following two years. Kissin's first appearances outside Russia were in 1985 in Eastern Europe; his first tour of Japan in 1986; and in 1988 he performed with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in a New Year's concert broadcast internationally. In 1990 Mr. Kissin made his first appearance at the BBC Promenade Concerts in London and, in the same year, made his North American debut, performing both Chopin piano concertos with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta. The following week he opened Carnegie Hall's Centennial season with a spectacular debut recital, recorded live by BMG Classics.

Kissin's most recent release is an album featuring Beethoven Sonatas on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Awards for his recordings have included the Edison Klassiek (The Netherlands) and the Diapason d'Or and the Grand Prix of La Nouvelle Academie du Disque (France). His recording of works by Scriabin, Medtner and Stravinsky (RCA Red Seal) won him a Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Instrumental Soloist. His most recent Grammy for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with orchestra) was awarded in 2010 for his recording of Prokofiev's Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 with the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy (EMI Classics).

Mr. Kissin's extraordinary talent inspired Christopher Nupen's documentary film, Evgeny Kissin: The Gift of Music, which was released in 2000 on video and DVD by RCA Red Seal. For more information visit imgartists.com/roster/evgeny-kissin/.

All tickets, starting at $19.00, will go on sale Monday, October 25, with a limited number of on-stage seats available. Pre-sale for Cleveland Orchestra subscribers and donors begins Tuesday, October 19. Call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141, email boxoffice@clevelandorchestra.com, or visit clevelandorchestra.com.

The Cleveland Orchestra is committed to creating a safe and comfortable environment for its musicians, guests, audiences, staff, and volunteers. Everyone coming to Severance for concerts and events will be required to wear a mask. Guests will also be required to show proof of full Covid-19 vaccination or, should they be unable to be vaccinated, to provide a negative Covid-19 PCR test that has been taken within 72 hours of entering. For the most up to date information, please visit: clevelandorchestra.com/attend/health-safety/

Guests who are unable to provide verification of vaccination or choose not to provide a negative Covid-19 PCR test may request a full refund of their purchase.

Anyone feeling ill or experiencing symptoms related to a cold or infectious disease is asked to stay home.

To ensure our audiences' experience with The Cleveland Orchestra is as safe as possible, we continue to consult with the Cleveland Clinic and local public health authorities for health and safety guidelines. These include, but are not limited to, meeting HV AC air filtration and circulation system requirements, enhanced cleaning procedures, and providing hand sanitizer through the venue. As always, the safety of our audiences, musicians, staff, and volunteers remains our top priority.

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