With the announcement by pianist Maria João Peres last year of her retirement from the stage in 2018, this concert, recorded live only a few days ago by NHK in Tokyo may be some of the last live offerings we’ll be hearing from this outstanding pianist for quite some time, if ever again.
Recorded on April 20th at a subscription concert, the NHK Symphony, guest conducted by Herbert Blomstedt play an all-Beethoven concert. Beginning with the Piano Concerto Number 4, followed by a standing ovation and encore of Bagatelle Number 5 from Six Bagatelles op.126 and concluding the concert with the Symphony Number 4.
From her Wikipedia page:
International fame came in 1970, when she won the Beethoven Bicentennial Competition in Brussels. Subsequently she performed with major orchestras in Europe, America, Canada, Israel and Japan, interpreting works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Mozart, Brahms, Chopin and other classical and romantic composers.
Her professionalism achieved worldwide recognition when a film (from 1999) was drawn to the attention of the press and went viral in 2013. At the start of a lunchtime concert in Amsterdam, she realized that she had rehearsed for a different Mozart concerto from the one the orchestra had started playing; quickly recovering, she played the concerto from memory.
Pires performed at the BBC Proms in 2010. In an interview beforehand, she said that after 60 years of recitals and concerts she had cut back her performances but was non-committal about retirement.
From 2012 to 2016, she was a Master in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, Belgium, where she gave piano lessons and master classes to young talented pianists from all over the world. To foster young musicians, she launched the Partitura Project.
In 2017, she announced her retirement from the stage and tours for 2018.
Definitely qualifies for Anti-Road Rage Wednesday music. Flip the player on and relax.
