Refreshing perspective
Inaugural concert by piano professor Michail Lifits in the "Virtuoso Weimar" series
Michail Lifits has been the new Professor of Piano at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar since April 2022. Born in Uzbekistan in 1982, the musician is not only a sought-after teacher, but also an active and successful soloist and chamber musician worldwide. He will now perform his debut concert on Saturday, 6 April at 7:30 pm in the Festsaal Fürstenhaus with works by Franz Schubert and Dmitri Shostakovich.
Tickets for the concert in the "Virtuoso Weimar - Teachers in Concert" series are available for 12 euros, reduced 8 euros, from the Weimar Tourist Information Centre and at the box office.
The programme includes Franz Schubert's Sonata in G major D 894 and Dmitri Shostakovich's 24 Preludes op. 34. "My fascination for musical contrasts and juxtapositions characterises the selection of works for my inaugural concert," explains Prof. Michail Lifits.
"It is a challenge to unite the seemingly incompatible: to place the sonata's expansive arcs of thought alongside the concise short stories of the preludes." Schubert and Shostakovich, two composers who could not be more different, meet in the inaugural concert.
"While Schubert captivates the audience with deep melancholy and a touching longing, Shostakovich brings a completely different, refreshing perspective with his irony and tongue-in-cheek play with musical forms," says Michail Lifits, describing his piano recital. For him, the selected works are not only a tribute to their composers, but also evidence of his personal musical journey.
"The Schubert Sonata, which I played at my concert exam at the end of my studies, symbolises a bridge for me - from my beginnings to my new role as a professor in Weimar. The Preludes, on the other hand, fascinate me with their connection and subtle parody of Chopin's Préludes op. 28. It is this playful exploration and dialogue between the works that reveal a deep emotional connection and admiration for the genius and craftsmanship of their creators. My engagement with these compositions is not only an artistic one, but also a deeply personal one," says Prof Michail Lifits.
As winner of the 57th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, Michail Lifits has given numerous concerts at venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, the Philharmonie Berlin, the Herkulessaal, the Prinzregententheater and the Philharmonie in Munich, the Laeiszhalle and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Sala Verdi in Milan, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.
He has appeared as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Residenzorchester Den Haag, the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, the Haydn Orchester Bozen, the Moscow Soloists, the Orchestra of Valencia, the Orchestra dell'Arena di Verona, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Münchener Symphoniker and the Münchener Kammerorchester.
Michail Lifits is a welcome guest at renowned international festivals. These include the Verbier Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau Music Festival, Ruhr Piano Festival, Kissinger Sommer, Festival Pianistico Internazionale di Brescia e Bergamo, Festival d'Auvers-sur-Oise, Schwetzingen SWR Festival, Bergen International Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad and BBC Proms.
In addition to his extensive solo activities, he is a passionate and sought-after chamber musician. He has performed with renowned artists such as Vilde Frang, Nicolas Altstaedt, Steven Isserlis, Cristina Gómez Godoy, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Andreas Ottensamer, Veronika Eberle, Gil Shaham and Nils Mönkemeyer. Together with his chamber music partner Vilde Frang, he has recorded two CDs for Warner Classics, which have won awards including an ECHO KLASSIK and the "Diapason d'or".
Michail Lifits has been an exclusive artist with DECCA since 2011. His debut CD with piano music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, released in 2012, was honoured as "CD of the Month" by leading classical music magazines and radio stations. His second recording of piano sonatas by Franz Schubert was released at the beginning of 2015, marking the start of his complete recording of Schubert's piano works. His most recent recording is dedicated to the piano works of Dmitri Shostakovich and includes the 24 Preludes for Piano as well as the Piano Quintet op. 57.
Further information:www.michaillifits.com
[19 March 2024]