Abdel Rahman El Bacha – April 5, Bourgie Hall LiveEvents March 29, 2017 2635 Abdel Rahman El Bacha Following his stunning Beethoven performance at Bourgie Hall in 2015, Abdel Rahman El Bacha is back with Rachmaninoff’s two cycles of Preludes. Indebted to both the nocturne and the romance, this vast fresco of thematic unity incorporates a range of features calling for the full deployment of the pianist’s technique. Born in Beirut in October 1958 into a family of musicians, he started to study the piano in 1967 with Zvart Sarkissian, a pupil of Marguerite Long and Jacques Février. By the age of ten he gave his first concert with an orchestra. In June 1978 at the age of nineteen, Abdel Rahman El Bacha won the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Competition by a unanimous judgement, and was also awarded the Audience Prize. His vast repertory, which includes over fifty concertos, is based mainly on the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Rachmaninov, Ravel and Prokofiev. In 1983 his first record, devoted to the early works of Prokofiev, won the Grand Prix of the Académie Charles Cros. His recording of the complete numbered piano sonatas of Beethoven, like his concert performances have been heralded by the press as major events. Duration: 1 Hrs 30 Min Programme RACHMANINOFF Prelude Op 3 No 2 Preludes Op 23 Nos 1 to 10 Preludes Op 32 Nos 1 to 13 For tickets and information: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/concerts 514-285-2000 Bourgie Concert Hall 1339 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3G 2E8
