[Change of Pianist]TCHAIKOVSKY FESTIVAL 2019 General Director: Valery Gergiev & The Mariinsky Orchestra

We regret to inform you that Sergei Babayan(piano), whose participation in the ‘General Director: Valery Gergiev & The Mariinsky Orchestra” (December 7) had previously been announced, will not be able to join to the Concerto due to his circumstances. Therefore, another artist will perform on the following dates. Thank you for your understanding.

■TCHAIKOVSKY FESTIVAL 2019
General Director: Valery Gergiev & The Mariinsky Orchestra

13：00 （Sat.） December 7　at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Piano Concerto No.3 in E flat major, Op.75 Sergei Redkin, Piano
Change: Sergei Babayan ⇒ Sergei Redkin

18：00 （Sat.） December 7 at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Piano Concerto No.2 in G major, Op.44 Mao Fujita, Piano
Change: Sergei Babayan ⇒ Mao Fujita

Sergei Redkin 13：00 （Sat.） December 7Sergei Redkin was born in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, on October 27th, 1991. He began to play the piano at the age of five. At the age of six he began to study at the Music Lyceum of Krasnoyarsk, in the class of Galina Boguslavskaya. At the same time he began to study improvisation and composition with Eduard Markaich. In year 2004, after becoming a laureat of the International Gavrilin competition of young composers in Saint Petersburg, Sergei continued his education at the Special Music School of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, in the class of Olga Kurnavina. At that time Sergei won his first several prizes at competitions for young pianists, such as Rachmaninoff competition (Saint Petersburg, 2005, First prize) and Chopin competition (Estonia, 2006, Grand prix). Sergei also played his first solo recitals in Russia and abroad, getting engagements from Germany, Switzerland, Poland. Simultaneously Sergei studied composition under prof. Alexander Mnatsakanyan, one of the last students of great Shostakovich. Among the young composer’s works you can find a string quartet, a trio for winds, chamber music, a lot of music for piano. Suite for cello and piano won the First prize at the young composers’ competition in Saint Petersburg in 2007. In 2008 Sergei was honored to receive the Maestro Temirkanov Award as one of the best students of Saint Petersburg Special Music School. In year 2009 Sergei successfully passed his entrance exams and became a student of prof. Alexander Sandler at the Saint Petersburg state Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. He also continued his composition studies under prof. Mnatsakanyan. During the year 2011 with the support of St Petersburg House of Music Sergei Redkin trained at the famous International Lake Como Piano Academy in Italy, studying under such musicians as William Grant Nabore, Dmitry Bashkirov, Peter Frankl, Fou Ts’ong among others. In year 2012 Sergei became the winner of III International Maj Lind competition in Helsinki, in 2013 – the winner of VI International Prokofiev competition in Saint Petersburg. In 2015 Sergei Redkin won the Third prize and the Bronze medal at the XV International Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow. Currently Sergei is continuing his studies under prof. Sandler in Saint Petersburg Conservatory. In 2016 he’s playing his first concerts in New York, Mexico and Paris (all with Maestro Valery Gergiev and Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra), touring with solo recitals throughout the world, from Portugal and Israel to Vladivostok and Yakutsk, taking part at prestigious classical music festivals, playing a lot of chamber music and composing in the meantime.

Mao Fujita 18：00 （Sat.） December 7Born in Tokyo in 1998, Mao’s first international acclaim was at age 18, just two years ago when he won the 27th Concours International De Piano Clara Haskil in Switzerland, also winning three special awards the “Audience Award,” the “Prix Modern Times,” and the “Prix Coup de Coeur”. In June, 2019, Mao fascinated Moscow, winning the second prize at the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition. He was welcomed by ovation at each round and was watched on internet from all around the globe. He appeared to perform the 3rd movement of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with Valery Gergiev at the final Gala in St. Petersburg where a special recognition was made by Maestro Gergiev that Mao was ”the surprising new discovery” of the pianists. He made a worthy London debut, performing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with Maestro Gergiev and Mariinsky Orchestra in October 2019. He also performed the same work at his debut in Seoul and fascinated many. This season he is invited to perform in Germany, Moscow, Latvia and Switzerland among many others. His recent highlight performances include the Andre Jolivet Piano Concerto with Mo. Kazuyoshi Akiyama & Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 2019, Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 with Mo.Kachun Wong & Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in 2019, and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with Mo. Oleg Caetani & Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in 2018. He was invited to perform at festivals such as Klavier-Festival Ruhr and Verbier Festival as Academy Musician and to perform at the “New Generatioin Series” at Louis Vuitton Foundation in 2018.

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