Violin virtuoso and piano prodigy join forces at Melbourne Recital Centre

Feted for his effortless renditions of the otherwise impossible – from Paganini and Locatelli to Brett Dean – Ilya Gringolts’ performances and recordings have established him as one of the quintessential violin virtuosi of our time.

He has performed as soloist with the world’s leading orchestras, including a recent collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

As part of Melbourne Recital Centre’s newly established International Classics series, formerly Great Performers, Gringolts joins pianist Aura Go for the first time since collaborating at the 2016 Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland.

Their shared passion for contemporary music unites them here in the Australian premiere of modern master Wolfgang Rihm’s Phantom und Eskapade, dedicated to Anne-Sophie Mutter.

Rihm’s invocation of the fantastical alludes to the Schumann sonata and its preoccupations with imagination and myth. The Mozart sonata will unveil the crystalline sounds of Gringolts’ Stradivarius violin.

Australian music, arts and culture magazine, Limelight, said, “it’s difficult to imagine a more complete violinist than Ilya Gringolts,” while major German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, lauded the virtuoso by exclaiming, “one can hardly play the violin more expressively and uncompromisingly than Gringolts”.

Intimate, moving and awe-inspiring, the International Classics concert experience offers audiences the opportunity to witness the compelling virtuosity of artists from across the globe as they perform a curated program of music in an award-winning venue specially designed for classical music to soar.

“In this series we showcase an outstanding lineup of musicians from around the world, who make the most intimate recital into epic memories,” director of programming Marshall McGuire said.

“These are artists at the top of their game, delighting and inspiring audiences in great venues of the world. There’s no magic at work here – it’s simply incredible artists having a conversation with an audience, in Australia’s best recital venue.” •

For more information: melbournerecital.com.au