The return of piano legend Grigory Sokolov

Friday, November 29^th, 8:30 PM at Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli

Grigory Sokolov is an absolute virtuoso whose mastery is as legendary as his reserve. After a great sold-out in November 2023 the legend from Saint Petersburg returns to Lingotto Musica on Friday, November 29^th, with a highly anticipated recital that represents a deep distillation of his art. He will perform a program that combines Chopin’s Mazurkas Op. 30 and Op. 50, the magical sylvan world of Schumann’s Waldszenen and some gems of the early piano music by William Byrd, the greatest English composer of the Elizabethan age.

The great virtuoso from Saint Petersburg in recital

Grigory Sokolov captured global attention in 1966. He was just sixteen years old when he made history, becoming the youngest ever musician to win the prestigious Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition. Throughout the 70s he embarked on extensive tours in the United States and Japan, forging deep connections with the greatest international orchestras before dedicating himself exclusively to solo recitals. He gives around 70 concerts per season, presenting unique programs throughout Europe. Sokolov has deliberately avoided the recording industry: to appreciate his pianism is necessary to follow him to the hall, the place where he establishes an intimate dialogue with his audience. His rare recordings, exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon since 2014, are almost exclusively live performances: his first album (2015) is a recital from the Salzburg Festival featuring music by Mozart and Chopin whereas subsequent albums (2016-2017) have explored Schubert, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff, among others. The documentary A Conversation That Never Was by Nadia Zhdanova (2017) offered an intimate portrait of Sokolov through interviews, photos and archival footage. His fourth album (2022) features Haydn Sonatas and Schubert Impromptus, recorded at the historic Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt. After over 70 recitals dedicated to Purcell and Mozart between 2022 and 2023, Sokolov finally recorded his latest album in August 2024.

Renaissance composer William Byrd, Chopin’s Mazurkas and Schumann’s Waldszenen

The program opens with a tribute to English Renaissance music, featuring a selection of pieces by William Byrd written for the virginal (a keyboard instrument like harpsichord) and preserved in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. These works offer a fascinating watch into the Elizabethan musical life in late 16^th and early 17^th centuries, ranging from popular dances like the Pavanes and Galliards to more elaborate forms such as the Fantasia, which provides fertile soil for contrapuntal exploration. Then Sokolov will perform 4 Mazurkas Op. 30 and 3 Mazurkas Op. 50 by Fryderyk Chopin, two of the most celebrated composer’s works of the polish dance. Composed between 1836 and 1837, Op. 30 reflects a particularly emotional period from Chopin’s life, linked to the breakdown of his relationship with Maria Wodzińska. Op. 50, dating from 1841-1842, exhibits the nostalgic Chopin and a greater harmonic and rhythmic complexity. The concert will close with Waldszenen (Scenes from the Forest) Op. 82, composed by Robert Schumann in 1848. These nine piano miniatures toggle from calm to dramatic passages.