The great pianist replaces Khatia Buniatishvili
Pianist Khatia Buniatishvili has had to cancel her participation in the concert scheduled for September 19 at the George Enescu International Festival, where she was to perform alongside the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, for medical reasons. In her place, famous pianist Rudolf Buchbinder returns to the Enescu Festival for the third time.
The concert given by the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich will be conducted by Maestro Paavo Järvi. The program for the evening remains as originally announced: Enescu’s Symphony No. 1 in E flat major Op. 13, Beethoven’s Concerto No. 1 in C major for piano and orchestra Op. 15, and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 in E flat major Op. 97, Rhenish.
Both the orchestra and the Festival organizers are grateful to Rudolf Buchbinder for accepting the invitation at such a difficult time and at such short notice.
Rudolf Buchbinder is considered one of the most important pianists on the international scene. Admitted to the Vienna Academy of Music at the age of 5, he remains the youngest student in the history of the institution. Often invited to perform with renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the National Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Buchbinder has collaborated over the years with famous conductors such as Abbado, Dohnányi, Dudamel, Frühbeck de Burgos, Giulini, Harnoncourt, Maazel, Masur, Mehta, Saraste, Sawallisch, and Thielemann.
Rudolf Buchbinder is also artistic director and founder of the Grafenegg Music Festival – held annually since 2007 near Vienna – which has quickly become one of the most important festivals for orchestras across the world. Buchbinder attaches considerable importance to the meticulous study of musical sources, owning 35 complete editions of Beethoven’s sonatas as well as an extensive collection of autographed scores and original documents or first editions.
