Alice Sara Ott & Francesco Tristano Duo Recital

“The soloist, replacing Lang Lang at short notice, was Alice Sara Ott, who gave the kind of gawp-inducing bravura performance of which legends are made.“
– Tim Ashley, The Guardian

In less than five years, the twenty-five year old German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott has gained critical acclaim for her performances at major concert halls worldwide and has established herself as one of the most exciting musical talents of today.

Recent concerts have seen Alice perform with Münchner Philharmonikerin Munich and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, both under LorinMaazel, a very successful European tour with Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Krzysztof Urbański. In recital, she had great success with her recitals in London’s International Piano Series, Chicago Symphony Center, New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, Hamburg’s Laeiszhalle and Berlin Kammermusiksaal.

Highlights of the 2013/14 season includes appearances with Philharmonia Orchestra (Vladimir Ashkenazy), National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC (NeemeJarvi), Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Thomas Dausgaard) and tours with Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (HannuLintu), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (VasilyPetrenko) and OrchestrePhilharmonique de Radio France (Myung-Whun Chung).
In recital, she makes return visits to Beethovensaal in Stuttgart, Prinzregententheater in Munich and Konzerthause Vienna.

Alice has recorded exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon since 2008, with her highly successful debut recording of Liszt’s 12 Étudesd’exécutiontranscendante quickly followed by a second album of
Chopin’s complete waltzes, entering both the German and US Classical iTunes charts at No.1. Alice’s debut concerto album, with works by Tchaikovsky and Liszt (with the MünchnerPhilharmoniker and Thomas Hengelbrock) was named Editor’s Choice in both International Piano and Classic FM Magazines. Alice was also awarded the prize for Young Artist of the Year at the Echo KlassikAwards for her Chopin recording in October 2010. Live recording of her performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition at the Mariinsky Theatre, was recorded in July 2012 during the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg and was released in January 2013. Upcoming recording projects include a two piano program based on Russian ballet with Francesco Tristano in autumn 2013 which will be on worldwide tour in 2014/15 season.

A young musician and composer causing a stir, not only on the club scene, but also in classical concert venues is probably a world-first. It may also be the first time that purists from the classical and techno camps actually agree on something. That they don’t know quite what to make of this young musician who refuses to stick to the rules. For Francesco Tristano this kind of reaction is nothing new. When he and his trio, Aufgang, begin to play techno from sheets, his puzzled audience shuffle in their seats. Experienced concert audiences and classical music lovers may feel equally baffled when they hear a pianist blend and mix his own composition – just like a DJ – into a piece by Frescobaldi.

The intrepidness with which 29-year-old Francesco Tristano combines eras and styles, occasionally allowing them to collide, may initially create a baffled response. However, Luxembourg-born Francesco Tristano has no aspirations as an agitator. Almost everything he does is an expression of an open-minded attitude which refuses to accept borders and constrictions. Tristano knows all about the interpretational conventions that have shaped generations of classical pianists. But he has chosen to ignore them. He does not seek approval as an artist and when his dynamic performance emotively basks in the intrinsic severity of baroque music that’s when he’s truly radical.

Tristano’s talent cannot be doubted. His technique is outstanding, his playing is comparative to a virtuoso, his interpretations are bold and unconventional. Yet, he is far from being a sonic iconoclast. Tristano’s wide repertoire spans baroque, classical music, new music, jazz and club music and reflects his experience and playing ability. He refuses to accept the existence of stylistic borders yet his work is always carefully considered and represents a respect for all music.

Francesco Tristano discovered the piano at the age of five. Aged 13, he played his first concert, presenting his own compositions. He later toured both as a soloist and with renowned orchestras, such as the Russian National Orchestra, the French National Orchestra of Lille and the Philharmonie Luxembourg. Tristano founded the chamber ensemble, The New Bach Players, with whom he has also performed as a conductor. This ensemble consciously breaks with conventions, using a Steinway grand piano and old, vibratoless bows on contemporary string instruments.

Tristano is one of the last students at New York’s Juilliard School to complete Bach legend Rosalyn Tureck’s master class. He also studied at the music academies in Brussels, Riga, Paris and Luxembourg as well as the esmuc in Barcelona. In 2004, he won the first prize at the International piano competition for contemporary music in Orléans, France. Tristano has released twelve albums, among them recordings of Bach Goldberg Variations and complete keyboard concertos, Luciano Berio complete piano works, and Girolamo Frescobaldi Toccatas. Not for Piano (2007), presented his own compositions as well as versions of techno classics at the piano. Idiosynkrasia, his third album on the label inFiné, recorded at Carl Craig’s Planet E-communications in Detroit, was released to critical acclaim in 2010. More recently, Tristano has signed with Universal Classics & Jazz. His first project, bachCage, produced by Moritz von Oswald, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in March 2011.
– See more at: http://www.francescotristano.com/bio#sthash.2vtS0eXQ.dpuf