The Transparent Resonance Told by the 'Master of Small Hands'

Maria Joao Pires First Recital in Korea

Maria Jo?o Pires. Photo by Felix Broede-DG

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The world-renowned pianist from Portugal, Maria Jo?o Pires (78), known as the 'Master of Small Hands,' will hold her first solo recital in Korea.

On the 16th, the concert planning company InArts Production announced that Pires' recital in Korea will take place on the 22nd at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall and on the 24th at the Ulsan Hyundai Arts Center.

This solo recital marks her first visit to Korea in six years since performing with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1996, the London Symphony Orchestra in 2013, and the Budapest Festival Orchestra in 2016.

Considered one of the leading Mozart specialists, Pires has also delivered outstanding performances of works by Chopin, Schubert, and Schumann. Her clear and delicate interpretations are often praised as achievements overcoming the handicap of having small hands.

In this concert, Pires will perform Schubert's most popular piano sonatas D 664 and D 960, which evoke a sentimental atmosphere, along with Debussy's Bergamasque, which includes the famous 'Clair de Lune.' Audiences are eagerly anticipating how the maestro will present these pieces with her meticulous emotional nuances.

Since the 1970s, Pires has devoted herself to reflecting on the impact of art on life, community, and education, seeking new ways to establish this mindset in society. In 1991, she founded the Belgais Centre for the Study of the Arts in Portugal, where she regularly holds interdisciplinary workshops for professional musicians and music enthusiasts.

Additionally, in 2012, she launched two complementary projects in Belgium. The 'Partitura Choirs' project, which creates and develops choirs for children in disadvantaged environments like the Hesperos Choir, and the 'Partitura Workshop.' The Partitura project aims to offer an alternative to today's competition-driven society by fostering altruistic energy among artists of different generations. This philosophy is spreading worldwide through the Partitura projects and workshops.

Maria Jo?o Pires was born in Lisbon in 1944 and debuted on stage at the age of four, gaining attention as a prodigy with her first recital at age five. She won the Portuguese 'Young Musician Award' at nine and studied in Munich, Germany, at 17 with a scholarship from the Gulbenkian Foundation. She studied under Karl Engel in Hanover and gained international recognition by winning the Beethoven 200th Anniversary Competition held in Brussels in 1970. Pires is especially renowned for her transparent resonance and meticulous yet pure sensibility, excelling in interpretations of Mozart's solo and concerto works, earning her the reputation as a 'Mozart specialist.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.