A Fairytale and Mozart the Poet – August 18, 2023 LiveEvents August 10, 2023 795 Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) presents A Fairytale and Mozart the Poet As part of La Virée classique 2023 Led by Rafael Payare, pianist Jeremy Denk and the OSM will perform one of Mozart’s most dazzling concertos. After its majestic first movement, answered by an exquisitely elegant Andante, the work reaches a jubilant conclusion. This concert pairs Mozart’s musical poetry with Sofia Gubaidulina’s enchanting Fairytale Poem. ArtistsRafael Payare, conductor Rafael Payare’s prodigious musicianship, technical brilliance and charismatic presence on the podium have made him one of the world’s most sought-after conductors. Born in 1980 and a graduate of the celebrated El Sistema music education program in Venezuela, Mr. Payare began his formal conducting studies in 2004 with José Antonio Abreu. Since winning the prestigious Malko International Competition for Young Conductors in Denmark in 2012, Maestro Payare’s career has advanced rapidly. Since 2015, he has served as Principal Conductor of the Castleton Festival, founded by his mentor the late Lorin Maazel. He was Chief Conductor of the Uster Orchestra from 2014 to 2019 and in 2019, took up the position of Music Director of the San Diego Symphony. In recent years, Rafael Payare has conducted many of the world’s most prestigious symphony orchestras, in Berlin, Vienna, London, Munich, Chicago and Paris, among others. Beginning in the 2022-2023 season, he becomes the ninth Music Director in the history of the OSM. Jeremy Denk, piano Jeremy Denk is one America’s foremost pianists, hailed by the New York Times as an artist “you want to hear no matter what he performs.” Denk is also a New York Times bestselling author, winner of both the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Denk has performed multiple times at Carnegie Hall and in recent years has worked with such orchestras as Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra. Recent highlights include his performance of the Well-Tempered Klavier Book 1 at the Barbican in London, and performances of John Adams’ Must the Devil Have All the Great Tunes? with the Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, and Seattle Symphony, as well as a return to the San Francisco Symphony to perform Messiaen under Esa-Pekka Salonen. ProgramSofia GOUBAÏDOULINA, Fairytale Poem (12 min.) MOZART, Piano Concerto no. 25 in C major, K. 503 (30 min.) Maison symphoniqueFriday, August 18, 2023 at 6:30pm To purchase your tickets visit: www.placedesarts.com VIRÉE CLASSIQUE 2023 August 16th to 20th La Virée classique 2023 celebrates its 10th anniversary. Since its creation, the Virée has become an unmissable summer event. The mission of the Virée classique is to promote the discovery of music in all its forms, to strengthen social ties in the community, to contribute to the development of the sensitivity and curiosity of music lovers, and to encourage amateur musicians and young emerging artists. This mission has been fulfilled successfully year after year. For this 10th edition, 26 indoor concerts and a hundred or so free activities for the whole family will allow you to explore a multitude of musical universes, from the great classical works to Balinese music, as well as jazz, film music, music from the Balkans or the Middle East. From different cultures, this music will evoke memories of travel that will lead you into the fantastic world of tales.