Brilliant International Musicians Series: Ingmar Lazar (solo piano)

Doors open: 18:15
Concert starts: 19:00

Born in France in 1993, Ingmar Lazar made his début at the age of 6 at the Salle Gaveau in Paris. Prizewinner of several international competitions, he was the recipient of the Tabor Foundation Piano Award at the Verbier Festival in 2013. In 2020 he became prizewinner of the Ateliers Médicis, with the support of the French Ministry of Culture, and is a Steinway Artist. 

Hailed by the Classica Magazine as a “pianist of magnetic presence,” Ingmar is internationally praised for his deep and moving performances, as well as for his brilliant control and stupendous technique. He has firmly established himself as one of the leading French musicians of his generation. 

He performs in the world’s most prestigious halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Herkulessaal in Munich, International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Verdi Hall of the Milan Conservatory, La Seine Musicale in Paris, and Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, to name a few. He is regularly invited to many distinguished festivals including Festspiele Mecklenburg- Vorpommern, La Roque d’Anthéron International Piano Festival, Colmar International Festival, Festival Chopin in Paris, Sant Pere de Rhodes Music Festival, and the Gotthard Klassik-Festival. 

He collaborates with conductors such as Vladimir Spivakov, Jean- Jacques Kantorow, Mathieu Herzog, and Peter Vizard among many others, and performs with orchestras including the National Philharmonic of Russia, the Moscow Virtuosi, the Orchestre Lamoureux, L’Ensemble Appassionato, Le Concert de la Loge, and the Lviv Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra to name a few. 

Since 2016, Ingmar Lazar has been the founder and artistic director of the Festival du Bruit qui Pense, in north-central France. Its goal is to create strong ties between artists and the audience with interactive post-concert interviews and discussions. He is also the artistic director of the piano festival Escapades Pianistiques taking place at the Château de Commarin, near Dijon, since 2021. 

PROGRAMME

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Variations sérieuses Opus 54

The “serious” attribute of Felix Mendelssohn’s “Variations sérieuses” (composed in 1841) is intended here in order to insist on the composer’s wish to write something quite different from the usual applause-seeking “Variations brillantes”, which were popular at the time. This work, often considered one of Mendelssohn’s most personal and introspective compositions, reflects his romantic sensibilities while drawing on classical forms, making it a staple of the piano repertoire.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Three Mazurkas Opus 59, Polonaise Opus 44

It is known that Mendelssohn and Chopin were close friends, and their common reverence towards Bach’s music is evident in the way they have both developed their musical language. The national folklore was also a constant source of inspiration for Chopin, and led to some of his most unique masterpieces. He reached a perfection of creative refinement in his Mazurkas, and his Polonaises reveal the epic nobility and heroic spirit of his mother country Poland. The Polonaise Op. 44 is perhaps his most patriotic due to its dramatic character and its contrasting central Mazurka.

INTERVAL

César Franck (1822-1890)
Grand caprice opus 5

The impact of the virtuosic piano composers of the 19th Century was an inspiration for many musicians, and we tend to forget that César Franck, before becoming one of the most influential organists, had the dream of becoming a virtuoso pianist himself. His Grand Caprice, composed at the age of 23, is perhaps his most representative work from his youth for the piano, and impresses through its tremendous difficulty but also the singularity of its themes which are announcing the unique musician that he will later become.

Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Nocturne in D Major

Another composer that one wouldn’t naturally associate with the piano is Georges Bizet, who during his lifetime was compared to Liszt himself regarding his prowess at the keyboard! One can perceive the tendency of the composer of “Carmen” for pianistic brilliance even in such a moving and poetic work as his Nocturne in D Major.

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Wedding March and Fairies Dance from Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, S. 410

The overview of the pianistic traditions of the 19th Century would have definitely not have been complete without Franz Liszt, who revolutionised and set new standards in the history of piano performance. This complete musician was also one of the most generous personalities among composers, constantly promoting the works of fellow musicians in which he believed. A perfect example of his genius as a transcriber can be found in his Paraphrase of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, where his unique sense for dramaturgy is being combined with his perfect knowledge of the instrument, and gives us also a glimpse of what a stupendous improviser he had to be. The art of transcription was not considered as something minor at that time, and this work most certainly proves it.