April 08, 2004 -

Ottawa (Canada) -- Renowned Canadian pianist Louis Lortie is the next featured artist on the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Great Performers recital series on Monday, April 19 at 20:00 in Southam Hall. The superstar soloist will perform works by Mendelssohn and Schumann.

The recital opens with Mendelssohn's Variations sérieuses, one of this composer’s finest piano compositions as well as a masterpiece of the theme-and-variation form. Though the original theme is sombre as the title suggests, many of the variations allow the pianist a fine display of technical prowess.

The Bunte Blätter are one of Schumann's most substantial collections – seldom heard even though they offer myriad manifestations of Schumann's genius. Each is a miniature masterpiece of subtlety, defined mood, character rhythm and articulation.

Louis Lortie next presents Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso, a polished and beautifully crafted piece written when the precocious composer was about fifteen.  The recital returns to Schumann for its finale. The Humoresque is another of Schumann's unjustifiably neglected large-scale works.

Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has been praised for the fresh perspective and individuality he brings to a deliberately broad spectrum of the keyboard canon.  He has performed a series devoted to the keyboard, chamber, and vocal music of Brahms and Schumann for CBC.  His disc of Schumann’s Bunte Blätter and other works by Schumann and Brahms was named one of the best CDs of the year by BBC Music Magazine.

Also celebrated for his interpretation of works by Beethoven, Louis Lortie has performed the complete Beethoven sonatas in London’s Wigmore Hall, Toronto’s Ford Center, Berlin Philharmonie, and the Sala Grande del Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan.  During the past season, Lortie made his Carnegie Hall recital debut, performing the complete Chopin Etudes. The concert was such a resounding success that he was immediately re-engaged for a recital during the 2004-2005 season. Over a four-year period he will play and conduct the 27 Mozart Piano Concertos with the Montreal Symphony, culminating in 2006, the 250^th anniversary of Mozart’s birth.

Louis Lortie has made over 30 recordings on the Chandos label, ranging from Mozart to Stravinsky. His recording of Beethoven’s Eroica Variations won the Edison Award and his recording of the complete Chopin Etudes, opp. 10 and 25, has been cited by BBC Music Magazine’s special Piano Issue as one of “50 Recordings by Superlative Pianists”.  Mr. Lortie’s most recent CD release is the final recording in his three-CD series of Liszt’s complete works for piano and orchestra with the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague. It was immediately named “Editor’s Choice” by Gramophone Magazine.  

Louis Lortie’s last appearance at the National Arts Centre was in May 2003, where he performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor with the NAC Orchestra.

Tickets for this Great Performers recital featuring pianist Louis Lortie on April 19 are on sale now at $25.00, $39.00, 41.00, $49.00 and 51.00, with box seats at $60.50 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111.  Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s website at www.nac-cna.ca.  Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Groups of 20 and more save up to 20% on NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances.  To book call 947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca

For more information please contact:
Jane Morris, Marketing and Communications Officer,
National Arts Centre Orchestra
(613) 947-7000, ext. 335
jmorris@nac-cna.ca