A one-person "symphony" feast.

"He was alone, but he was like an entire orchestra."
- The New York Times
 
The "piano genius" Ivo Pogorelich will return to the stage of Guangzhou Opera House this fall to perform famous works by Chopin, Schumann, Sibelius and Schubert, conduct a "cross-time and space dialogue" through the language of music, and play a personal "symphony" feast with the piano keys.
 
The legendary pianist Ivo Pogorelich has left a deep mark on the classical music scene of our time. His unique musical talent and innovative interpretations make him one of the most unique musical thinkers of our time. Pogorelich is widely recognized for his adventurous spirit, his ability to discover new musical expressions, and his piano art of extremely high aesthetic value and incomparable craftsmanship. His elegant and unique musical taste shapes evocative interpretations, and by setting new standards for musical interpretation, he broadens the horizons and understanding of piano art. Due to his uncompromising artistic standards and his persistent pursuit of the ideal of musical expression, Pogorelich has achieved remarkable results in more than forty years of performance, which has been appreciated by audiences and critics, and his concerts around the world have been warmly sought after by audiences.
 
Born in Belgrade in 1958, the son of a musician, Pogorelić began his musical education at the age of seven and gave his first solo recital at the age of ten. The gifted teenager then went to Moscow to continue his studies, attending the Central Special Music School and then the Tchaikovsky Conservatory over the next ten years. However, Pogorelić's artistic trajectory changed radically when he met the Georgian pianist and educator Alisa Kozelas and began a close and fruitful professional collaboration in 1976. Thanks to Kozelas, Pogorelić absorbed the European tradition of the Russian piano school and redefined his own piano technique. As the seventh generation of Beethoven and the fifth generation of Liszt, Pogorelić's unparalleled uniqueness in piano learning and technique made him stand out and ensured his special place among the world's piano stars.
 
In 1980, Poglierić won the final of the prestigious Montreal International Piano Competition with Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, which brought him international fame. In the same year, Poglierić participated in the 10th International Chopin Piano Competition, but for reasons that were never fully explained, he was eliminated before the final. This controversial and unfounded decision caused dissatisfaction among some members of the jury, who left the competition in protest, and pianist Martha Argerich called Poglieri a genius, explaining her decision to resign from the jury. This event, unprecedented in the history of music competitions, caused a strong reaction among the public, who generally believed that Poglieri was the real winner of the competition.
 
With his unconventional performances, amazing techniques and innovative interpretations of musical works, he attracted widespread attention at the Chopin International Piano Competition. Poglierić is recognized not only as a pianist of extraordinary talent, but also as an interpreter of contemporary spirit. In response to the invitations from famous concert halls around the world, Poglierić began his intensive tour in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. Since his first solo concert at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1981, Poglierić's performances in all the world's top concert halls have caused a strong response. Many famous orchestras have sent him invitations to cooperate, including the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra.
 
At the same time, Poglierić also actively released studio records. In 1981, he released his first album "Chopin Recital" on Deutsche Grammophon, which soon became a best-seller. From 1981 to 1998, Poglierić continued to record multiple albums as an exclusive artist for Deutsche Grammophon. Poglierić left a rich record of record releases at Deutsche Grammophon, with a total of 16 records and 3 films, including music from Baroque composers to works by 20th-century artists, interpreting different styles of music. He embodied unique artistic values ​​and musical concepts in each album. These records have become the reserved versions of music fans around the world and have been reprinted many times, and some have even remained in the catalog of Deutsche Grammophon for decades after their initial release.

To consolidate the artist’s status, Deutsche Grammophon released a double CD in 2006 entitled The Genius of Poglierić, which included many of his works, and in 2015, it released a package of Poglierić’s recordings from 1981 to 1998. This deep dive into the pianist’s extraordinary discography won the prestigious French Diapason d’Or shortly after its release.
In 2016, Poglieri collaborated with the streaming platform Idagio to record a new collection of Beethoven piano sonatas, becoming the first classical musician to focus on the production and distribution of high-format technical music recordings.
 
In addition to his 40 years of rich and profound stage experience, Poglierić is also passionate about charity work, especially humanitarian work and helping young artists. In order to support the careers of young musicians, in 1986, Poglierić not only established the Young Artists Fund in Zagreb, but also helped these musicians at the beginning of their performance careers, including the establishment of the "Ivo Poglierić International Music Festival" in Bad Wörishofen, Germany in 1989, which helped a large number of young musicians, ensembles and orchestras to go global in nine years. In recognition of his dissemination of the highest cultural, artistic and educational values ​​on an international scale, Poglierić was awarded the title of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1988, becoming the first classical musician to receive this honor. In 1993, in order to further promote the improvement of professional standards and value systems in the field of piano art, Poglierić founded the "Ivo Poglierić International Piano Competition" in Pasadena, USA. In 2016, at the Manhattan International Music Competition held at Carnegie Hall, in order to honor his contributions, the competition appointed Pogorelich as honorary chairman and named the main award after him.
 
Poglierić has given many wonderful performances on the stages of Europe, North and South America and the Far East, spreading the European culture and the traditional spirit of piano art in his music. Over the years, new works have been added to Poglierić's impressive concert repertoire, such as a large number of works by Schumann, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninov and Stravinsky, which have delighted critics and audiences all over the world.
 
In the 2018/2019 season, Poglieri celebrated both his 60th birthday and his 40th anniversary as a pianist. During his visit to Japan, NHK filmed a feature-length documentary in Nara dedicated to the cult pianist and also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Nara’s inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
 
In August 2019, Poglieri released his first studio record in 20 years on Sony. The record includes piano sonatas by Beethoven and Rachmaninoff. Through these works, Poglieri explores the profound influence of Beethoven's revolutionary creative techniques on later composers. As soon as this record was released, it received rave reviews from all sides and ranked among the top in European classical music charts. In February 2022, Poglieri turned his attention to Chopin's late works. In the newly released Sony record, he showed us his new understanding of Chopin's "Nocturne in C Minor", "Nocturne in E Major", "Fantasy in F Minor" and "Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor".
 
In the 2022/2023 season, Pogorelich performed throughout Europe and the Far East, bringing audiences a number of solo piano works and performing concertos with several orchestras.