Event Details

In addition to being a phenomenal pianist, Russian-American Lera Auerbach is also a prolific poet (in both Russian and English), visual artist, playwright, librettist, author, and composer who has published more than 100 works for opera, ballet, orchestral, solo instrumental, and chamber music. Her works have been commissioned by numerous leading arts presenters here and abroad and have been performed by long list of prominent names in the arts. Her paintings, sculptures and drawings have been featured in exhibitions around the world. Whatever the form, the artistry of this modern-day Renaissance woman is acclaimed for its exciting originality and dramatic intensity. Prizes for her works include two Golden Masks, Echo Klassik, and the Hindemith Prize. The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland named her a Young Global Leader in 2007 and a Cultural Leader in 2014. She earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in piano and composition from The Juilliard School and also graduated from the piano soloist program at Hannover's Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien. As the first in a series of pianist-composers the Chopin Society plans to present over coming seasons, she will perform Labyrinth, her latest composition for solo piano, followed by the iconic Russian work that inspired it, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. As does much of her music, this new work employs stylistic freedom and juxtaposition of tonal and atonal musical language. It was commissioned by San Francisco Performances and premiered by Lera in November of 2017 to a long standing ovation and rave reviews.

"Music of extraordinary power and intensity."

 Alex Ross, The New Yorker

"Russian pianist and composer Lera Auerbach is one of the most arresting and unique figures in classical music in the early twenty first century...Auerbach music in in a class by itself."

- Allmusic.com

PROGRAM

MUSSORGSKY  Pictures at an Exhibition
LERA AUERBACH  Labyrinth for Piano