Thursday, March 31, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Hudson Hall, Rogers Music Center
Hailed for his emotional intensity, bold energy and remarkable levels of color, Sergei Babayan brings a deep understanding and insight to a stylistically diverse repertoire, which includes a performance history of 54 concertos. Le Figaro has praised his "unequaled touch, perfectly harmonious phrasing and breathtaking virtuosity."
Highlights of the 2015/2016 season include concerto performances with the Rotterdam Philharmonic conducted by Valery Gergiev and with the Camerata Israel in Tel Aviv; performances at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, and at Bad Kissengen, Germany; recital and concerto performances in duo with Daniil Trifonov at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia; a return to Wigmore Hall in London; recitals and chamber music performances in Los Angeles and Atlanta, among others.
In July 2013, he was invited by Martha Argerich to her festival in Switzerland where they performed a newly created cycle of transcriptions for two pianos by Babayan from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet".
Babayan has collaborated with many noted conductors, orchestras and festivals including the Rotterdam Philharmonic-Gergiev Festival where Babayan was artist-in-residence.
"Babayan exuded the gravity of a monumental sculpture in bronze, as he teased out the beauties of this more
ruminative work." -The Independent