The Philadelphia Orchestra Announces Ivo Pogorelich in place of Martha Argerich 4/28

Pianist Ivo Pogorelich has graciously agreed to appear as soloist with Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit and The Philadelphia Orchestra in their Suntory Hall concert on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, in Tokyo, Japan, as part of the Orchestra's 2010 Tour of Asia. Martha Argerich, who was originally scheduled to perform Ravel's Concerto in G major with Mr. Dutoit and the Orchestra, has regrettably withdrawn due to personal family reasons. Mr. Pogorelich will perform Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2. The remainder of the program, which includes Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture, Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, and Ravel's La Valse, is unchanged.

Ivo Pogorelich was born in Belgrade in 1958. He received his first piano lessons at the age of seven and went to Moscow at the age of 12 to study at the Central Music School and then at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In 1976 he began studies with the renowned pianist and teacher Aliza Kezeradze, with whom he was married from 1980 until her premature death in 1996. Mr. Pogorelich won the Casagrande Competition in Terni (Italy) in 1978 and the Montreal International Music Competition in 1980. In 1980 he entered the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where his elimination in the third round sparked a fierce controversy that drew the attention of the whole musical world to the pianist. Martha Argerich called him a genius and left the jury in protest.

Mr. Pogorelich's debuts in London, Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome, Tel Aviv, and at New York's Carnegie Hall followed. He has since performed with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, all the London orchestras, Zurich's Tonhalle Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic, among others.

Mr. Pogorelich returned to Warsaw in 2007 for a celebrated recital. He performed there again in August and October 2008, and recently he played recitals in Lisbon, Istanbul, Athens, Monte Carlo, Paris, Vienna, Baden-Baden, Edinburgh, and at the Klavierfestival Ruhr and Monteux Festival. Future engagements include concerts and recitals in Milan, Dublin, London, Paris, and Vienna, as well as tours to Japan and South America.

An avid supporter of young artists, Mr. Pogorelich established a foundation in Croatia in 1986 to provide scholarships for young artists. Since 1989 the annual Ivo Pogorelich Festival has supported promising young musicians by giving them the opportunity to perform together with renowned artists. He also set up a foundation in Sarajevo to raise money to build a hospital and to provide medical support for the people of Sarajevo. Mr. Pogorelich also gives many charity concerts that support numerous causes, including the Red Cross, the rebuilding of Sarajevo, and the fight against such illnesses as cancer and multiple sclerosis. In 1988 he was named an "Ambassador of Goodwill" by UNESCO.

Mr. Pogorelich became an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist in 1982. His more than 15 recordings with DG include discs of Mozart piano sonatas, Bach suites, Liszt and Scriabin piano sonatas, and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1.

Tokyo, Japan - Suntory Hall
Wednesday, April 28 7:00 PM
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Charles Dutoit Conductor
Ivo Pogorelich Piano
Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture
Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2
Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances
Ravel La Valse

This performance is part of The Philadelphia Orchestra's 2010 Tour of Asia.

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