Spain's Master Pianist Joaquin Achúcarro to Perform at Muhlenberg College
Pianist Joaquin Achúcarro will perform at Muhlenberg College on Friday, September 26 at 8 p.m. in the Empie Theater.Thursday, September 11, 2008 11:22 AM
Tickets for general admission are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and may be purchased through the College’s box office, 484-664-3333.
Achúcarro will perform Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann Op. 9, Klavierstuke Op. 119; Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit; and works by Granados and Albeniz, all of which he has recorded for extensive prizewinning discography on BMG-RCA, Sony, Claves, RTVE, Masters of Arts and Etnos.
One of the top Spanish pianists of his generation, Joaquin Achúcarro was born in Bilbao, Spain, in the midst of the Great Depression. He began piano lessons at the age of 13 and made his professional debut playing a Mozart concerto with the local orchestra. In his late teens and early twenties, Achúcarro traveled around Europe taking lessons from one teacher after another, the most prominent including Walter Gieseking and Nikita Magaloff. In 1959, he took top prize at the Liverpool International Competition, making a successful debut with the London Symphony Orchestra and launching his international career. He has since been heard all around the globe, having performed in 60 countries with over 100 orchestras as a soloist and in-demand recitalist. He has taught since the late ‘80s at Southern Methodist University in Texas, but is still very much present in the cultural life of Spain, as the Spanish government awarded him the Premio Nacional de Musica in 1992, and in 1996 he was knighted by the King of Spain.
