Festival Bach Montréal presents

Martin Helmchen
J.S. Bach – Partitas

Critics have constantly praised Martin Helmchen’s highly virtuosic yet unpretentious style. As if the German pianist’s playing “came from another world” was how Le Devoir’s Christophe Huss described his reaction after a concert. He may well be known chiefly for his acclaimed performances of Beethoven and Mozart, yet Martin Helmchen stresses that “…with Bach, I have the feeling that it is a journey for which one life is not enough… With the Six Partitas, for example, I put in question everything I ever did and I’m learning them like someone who opens the score for the first time.”

Martin Helmchen has established himself as one of today’s most in-demand and sought-after pianists, characterised by the originality and intensity of his interpretations, alongside his excellent tonal sensitivity and technical abilities. In 2020 he was awarded the prestigious Gramophone Music Award for his recording Ludwig van Beethoven’s complete piano concertos with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under Andrew Manze, released by Alpha Classics. In the 2021/22 season Martin Helmchen is Artist-in-Residence with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo.

From early on in his career Helmchen has performed with the world’s most renowned orchestras such as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic as well as Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich and Orchestre de Paris. In Scandinavia he appears regularly with the Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Danish National Symphony Orchestra. He enjoys collaborations with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Manfred Honeck, Bernhard Haitink, Jakub Hrůša, Valery Gergiev, Klaus Mäkelä, Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski, Andris Nelsons, Andrew Manze, Kazuki Yamada, Christoph von Dohnányi, Sakari Oramo, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Michael Sanderling and David Zinman.

Born in Berlin in 1982 and a former student of Galina Iwanzowa, Helmchen continued his studies with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. Other mentors include William Grant Naboré and Alfred Brendel. His career gained incredible momentum when he won the “Concours Clara Haskil” in 2001. Since 2010, Martin Helmchen has been an Associate Professor of chamber music at the Kronberg Academy.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partitas, BWV 825-830
Partita n° 1, in B flat major, BWV 825
Partita n° 3, in A minor, BWV 827
Partita n° 5, in G major, BWV 829
Partita n° 2, in C minor, BWV 826
Partita n° 4, in D major, BWV 828
Partita n° 6, in E minor, BWV 830

Salle Pierre-Mercure
November 27, 2021 at 7:30pm

To purchase your tickets visit: www.festivalbachmontreal.com