SYMPHONIES AT THE PIANO – CONCERT I

Artists
Luigi Carrocia, piano

“Carroccia is an aristocrat of the piano; there doesn’t seem to be a nonmusical atom in his being.” (OLIN CHISM – Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Luigi Carroccia was born into a musical family and his first piano teachers were his father and grandfather. His studies continued at the Claudio Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees with honors. During these years Luigi has been appreciated for his sensitivity and unique personality, Gregory Sullivan Isaacs wrote about him “They can all play the notes rapidly and most can even get into the music. Carroccia was something different. […] He has that elusive who-knows-what that separates one artist from the others.” (Theater Jones North Texas Performing Arts News)

He was invited to record a program entirely dedicated to F. Chopin’s music for Radio Classica and he was awarded a medal for his performances of works by A. Scriabin during the “IV Mejdunaroden Festival” in Kjustendil, Bulgaria. Luigi has won prizes in many competitions, such as the Maria Herrero International Competition in Granada and the Premio Abbado, organized by the Italian Ministry of Culture in memory of Claudio Abbado, and he distinguished himself at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, the 17° International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth. He has performed in Italy, Poland, Turkey, United States, England, Bulgaria, Germany and Japan, and he will soon have his debut in China.

Josquin Otal, piano

Born in 1992, Josquin Otal began studying the piano at the Conservatoire of Lyon before studying under Bruno Rigutto at the Conservatoire of Marseilles and then at the Schola Cantorum. In 2010 he entered the Conservatoire of Paris (class of Anne Queffélec and then of Denis Pascal). These prestigious teachers had an important influence on his development. After completing his studies, Josquin continued to hone his skills with a master’s degree in interpretation, during which he studied the music of Granados, in particular the Goyescas series. Josquin is a laureate of national and international competitions: in 2010 he obtained the third prize at the 2010 Claude Bonneton Competition; in 2012 he was a finalist at the International Rhodes Competition; in 2014 he took third prize at the 2014 Piano en Mayenne Competition and at the Piano Campus Competition; in 2015 he won the Grand Prix Alain Marinaro; in 2017 he was a finalist at the International Piano Competition of Washington. In 2015 Josquin was named one of “Révélations classiques de l’Adami.” He has already performed at many festivals in France and abroad. He has also performed as a soloist with orchestra under such conductors as Philippe Aiche, Franck Braley, Victorien Vanoosten, Marius Stieghorst, etc. A passionate chamber musician, he has played alongside many artists, including Nabuko Imai, Aurélien Pascal, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Franck Braley, Elia Cohen-Weissert and Elsa Dreisig. He is a laureate of the Bluthner Foundation, of Adami, of the Fondation Banque Populaire and of the Fondation Safran. Since 2016 he has been artist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel under the tutelage of Louis Lortie and Avedis Kouyoumdjian.

Program
Complete BEETHOVEN Symphonies transcribed by LISZT – Concert I
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, “Pastorale”

Saturday, February 8th 2020 at 2:30pm
Duration: 2 Hrs

Presented in collaboration with the Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel (Waterloo, Belgium)

For tickets and information: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/concerts 514-285-2000

Bourgie Concert Hall, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) complex, is a 444-seat venue located in the restored Erskine and American Church (designed in 1894 in Neo-Romanesque style by architect Alexander Cowper Hutchison). Designated a national historic site in 1998, the transformed setting is now graced with high-quality acoustics and an exceptional décor incorporating 20 historic Tiffany stained glass windows. Ideal for performances by chamber-music ensembles, string orchestras, and other groups, Bourgie Concert Hall offer music lovers an auditory repertoire as diverse as the MMFA collections.

Bourgie Concert Hall
1339 Sherbrooke Street Wes