January 24, 2000
Pianist Horacio Gutiérrez to Perform at the Middlebury College Center for the Arts on Feb. 4 — Free Performance is a Recent Addition to the Middlebury College Concert Series
Praise for Horacio Gutiérrez: “…the pianist called upon his amazing dynamic range and variety of color in a performance that was awesome in its sense of drama and thrilling in its brilliance.” —The Baltimore Sun
Acclaimed Cuban-American pianist Horacio Gutiérrez will perform at Middlebury College at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4, in the Concert Hall of the Center for the Arts on Route 30. His program will include selected works by Berg, Perle, and Schumann, as well as Beethoven’s Hammer Klavier Sonata. This performance is a recent addition to the Middlebury College Concert Series.
Considered among today’s foremost pianists, Gutiérrez is consistently praised by critics and audiences alike for the poetic insight and technical mastery he brings to a diverse repertoire. Since his professional debut in 1970 with Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gutiérrez has appeared regularly with the world’s greatest orchestras and on its major recital series.
A favorite of New York concertgoers, Gutiérrez has performed on numerous occasions at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, and at Carnegie Hall in recital and with an orchestra. He is a frequent soloist at the Mostly Mozart Festival and has appeared on its season-opening “Live from Lincoln Center” telecast. As a chamber musician, Gutiérrez has collaborated with the Guarneri, Tokyo, and Cleveland Quartets as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 1982, he was the recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize.
His television performances in Great Britain, the United States, and France have been widely acclaimed, and he won an Emmy Award for his fourth appearance with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Gutiérrez was also welcomed to “The Tonight Show” three times by Johnny Carson.
Gutiérrez is a strong advocate of contemporary American composers. Of special importance were his performances of William Schumann’s Piano Concerto in honor of the composer’s 75th birthday at New York’s 92nd Street Y, and of Andre Previn’s Piano Concerto with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Previn conducting. Gutiérrez frequently includes George Perle’s “Phantasyplay” on his recital programs, and Perle is currently writing a new set of preludes for Gutiérrez.
Admission is free and open to the public; no tickets are required. For more information, call the Middlebury College Center for the Arts box office at 802-443-6433.