SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL TURNS 25 WITH A GRAND EDITION FEATURING THE LEGENDARY MARTHA ARGERICH IN HER LONG-AWAITED SINGAPORE DEBUT

To mark its silver jubilee, six phenomenal virtuoso pianists from across Asia, Europe and the Americas, from rising star to celebrated veterans, will present varied, colourful programmes in their Festival debuts.

The youthful passion of Seong-Jin Cho rubs shoulders with the established artistry of Dénes Várjon, Jeremy Denk, Dang Thai Son and Darío Alejandro Ntaca, in a myriad of works spanning Mozart and Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann, Debussy and Ravel, Prokofiev and Bartók. The quarter centennial celebrations culminate in the long-awaited Singapore debut of the legendary Martha Argerich in duo recital and in Prokofiev’s brilliant Piano Concerto No. 3. Our grandest edition yet, this is the piano event of the year you simply cannot miss!

This celebration also marks the ninth and final year that Artistic Director Lionel Choi will helm the SIPF. Under his directorship, the Singapore audience was able to experience a feast of piano repertoire, and Choi also presented many exciting artists like Stephen Hough, Lars Vogt, Piotr Anderszewski, Stephen Kovacevich, Nelson Freire, Paul Lewis and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, to name a few. Choi was also a champion for young up-and-coming pianists and presented Yuja Wang, Benjamin Grosvenor and Joseph Moog. The Singapore Symphony Group is grateful to Choi for his many contributions. Singaporean pianist Lim Yan will take over the artistic direction of the festival from 2019.

Mr Lionel Choi said, “I am immensely proud of the extraordinary following we have worked hard to build these nine years, both among international touring artists and music agencies, and local and regional audiences, culminating in this year's ‘supersized’ edition to celebrate our milestone quarter centennial. There is also no better time for me to hand the artistic reins over to a successor. For the first time in our history, the Festival will be curated by an active concert pianist. I believe Lim Yan possesses clarity of artistic vision through his immense pianistic abilities. He is devoted to educating the next generation of musicians and music lovers, and is well-liked by colleagues. I have full confidence that he will continue to raise the profile of the Festival and that audiences can expect this annual immersive pianistic experience to be even more inspired and engaging under his stewardship.”

Mr Lim Yan said, “Under the knowledgeable direction of Lionel Choi, the Singapore International Piano Festival has gone from strength to strength in the past nine years and I am especially looking forward to this year’s edition, which promises to be a real celebration of the Festival’s evolution since its inauguration twenty-five years ago. As a young piano student, the Festival was for me a highlight of the concert calendar, which has, under the strong leadership of artistic directors such as Lionel, developed today into an important fixture both locally and internationally. It is therefore an immense honour and privilege for me to be offered the opportunity to helm the Festival in the coming years; I am aware that these are very big shoes to fill indeed and will endeavour to do my best in order to continue, maintain and build upon the success of the Festival.”

Seong-Jin Cho, June 7 Young Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho's star has risen from strength to strength after his win at the prestigious Chopin Competition in 2015. Making his SIPF debut at age 24 this year, Cho's appealing programme of Schumann, Beethoven, Debussy and Chopin is the perfect showcase of his widely acclaimed poetic touch on the keyboard.

Dénes Várjon, June 8 With sensational technique, deep musicality and wide range of interests, Dénes Várjon is a highly sought-after piano pedagogue. On day 2 of the SIPF 2018, Dénes Várjon invokes a plethora of characters from the piano, with music by Beethoven, Ravel, Chopin and his Hungarian compatriot, Béla Bartók.

Jeremy Denk, June 9 One of America's foremost pianists and the 2014 winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, Jeremy Denk is "a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs, in whatever combination – both for his penetrating intellectual engagement with the music and for the generosity of his playing.“ (The New York Times). In his Singapore debut on day 3 of the SIPF, Jeremy Denk presents a highly thought-provoking and individualistic programme, wherein everything from the Mozart to the Prokofiev is a little more than the notes seem.

Dang Thai-Son, June 10 Vietnamese-Canadian pianist Dang Thai Son shot to fame when he won the Tenth Chopin Competition in 1980. A concert veteran renowned for his free and fluid virtuosity and golden sonority, Dang Thai Son has performed in more than 40 countries. This year he makes his very welcome Festival debut in a programme of lyrically pensive Schubert, poetic Chopin and Paderewski, as well as the dramatic flair of Liszt.

Martha Argerich and Dario Ntaca In Recital, June 11 Martha Argerich – universally acclaimed and undisputed legend of the piano - makes her long-awaited Singapore and Southeast Asian debut, in not one but two concerts. On day 5 of the Festival, she is joined by lifelong family friend and Argentine compatriot Darío Ntaca, they will perform a double-piano tour de force of signature 4-hand piano masterpieces by Schubert, Mozart, Brahms and Rachmaninov.

Martha Argerich In Concert, June 13 Martha Argerich makes her long-awaited Singapore and Southeast Asian debut with lifelong family friend and Argentine compatriot Darío Ntaca. In the Festival double-bill concerto finale, Darío Ntaca leads in the elegant mellifluousness of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17; a contrasting prelude to Martha Agerich’s ferocious natural genius in the concerto synonymous with her legend, the Prokofiev No. 3.

http://www.pianofestival.com.sg/

Watch the 25th SIPF trailer here.