An intimate evening of world-class classical piano, drinks, and dessert
To start off our 2023-2024 season, we have a special performance from the highly acclaimed Sergey Belyavksy, whom I had the luck of seeing performing live in Provence a few weeks ago. He was the opening act of this year’s Liszt en Provence festival that included the likes of Nicolai Lugansky. I was blown away by the emotional intensity of his playing. As the festival organizer aptly described, Sergey “sparkled like a crystal chandelier in a turn-of-the-century ballroom.” See below one of Sergey’s encores I stealthily recorded.
I now have the pleasure of bringing Sergey to all of you!
Saturday, September 30 — doors open at 7pm — recital starts 7:30pm — optional drinks and dessert reception with the pianist afterwards until about 10:00pm. For photos/videos of previous Lilacs events, see here.
To RSVP, go to the Eventbrite page here. As always, 100% of the proceeds will go to the pianist.
About Sergey
Praised as a “beast on the keyboard” (The Utah Review), pianist Sergey Belyavsky has thrilled and awed audiences around the globe. He is described as demonstrating “an extraordinary expressive intelligence” (Bachtrack) and has been called “one of the best pianists in the world today.”
Russian-born Belyavsky has won acclaim for his extraordinary technical abilities, mature musicality, and incredibly high professionalism. Born in Moscow in 1993 into a family of musicians, Sergey started playing piano at age 5 and since then has dedicated his life to music. At the age of 10 he had his debut solo recital and his first debut with the symphony orchestra at 11. His concert performances have now spanned the globe. By age 25 Belyavsky had toured and performed in 28 countries and some of the most famous venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Alte Oper Frankfurt.
He has recorded 4 CDs, including the 24 Etudes by Chopin and, most recently “The Wanderer” devoted to Schubert and Liszt.
Sergey has won top prizes in more than thirty prestigious international piano competitions. Among them are the Gina Bachauer Competition, the Budapest Liszt Competition, the Liszt Utrecht, the Maria Canals Competition, the Sydney Competition, and the Paderewski-Bydgoszcz Competition. Most recently, he was awarded second prize and the audience prize at the 76th Concours de Genève.
Sergey is currently working with Stanislav Ioudenitch, Gold Medalist of the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, at Park University in Kansas City, Missouri. Previously, he graduated from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in the class of world-famous concert pianist Eliso Virsaladze, followed by studies with Lev Natochenny, Gold Medalist of the 1981 Busoni International Piano Competition.
The program
Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3
Schumann – Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26 (Carnival Jest from Vienna)
Rosenthal – Carnaval de Vienne (Strauss Waltz Fantasy)
Liszt –
Valse Oubliée No. 1 S.215/1
Valse Oubliée No. 2 S.215/2
“Tarantella” from Venezia e Napoli, Années de pèlerinage II, Supplément, S.162