December 22, 1999

Pianist Ivan Moravec to Perform at the Middlebury College Center for the Arts on Jan. 21

“Mr. Moravec was a delight: pristine, ringing sound; curious but pleasing ritards and diminuendos, and above all the blanket of calm older players can bestow on roiling music.” —The New York Times

More than 35 years after his American debut, renowned pianist Ivan Moravec will perform at Middlebury College at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21, in the Concert Hall of the Center for the Arts, on Route 30. His rare, rich program of Chopin will include six Nocturnes, Ballade No. 1, and the 24 Preludes. This performance is sponsored by the Middlebury College Concert Series.

Moravec, a native of Prague, first appeared in America with the Cleveland Orchestra and George Szell at Severance Hall in 1964. Shortly after this concert, he made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall. Since then he has played with orchestras all over the U.S., including the New York Philharmonic and the Boston and Chicago symphonies, as well as at such festivals as Tanglewood, Blossom, and Ravinia.

Internationally, Moravec has enchanted audiences in all of the major music capitals of Europe and Asia, including London, Vienna, Paris, Tokyo, and Milan.

For the majority of his career, Moravec has focused on performing works of Mozart and Chopin. According to the Chicago Tribune, “He plays pieces by the two classical composers with such deep understanding, such penetrating musicality, such beauty of tone and texture, that one wonders why their music can’t always be played this way.”

A number of his many recordings have appeared in “Record of the Year” listings in publications such as The New York Times, Time, and Newsweek.

Tickets for this performance are $9 general admission and are $7 for senior citizens. A pre-performance dinner at 6:30 p.m. will be held at Rehearsals Cafe. To order tickets or make dinner reservations, call the College box office at 802-443-6433.