Maria João Pires

Maria João Pires (Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐˈɾiɐ ʒuˈɐ̃w ˈpiɾɨʃ]; born in Lisbon, Portugal, July 23, 1944) is a Portuguese pianist.

Musical studies

Her first recital was at the age of five, and at the age of seven she was already playing Mozart Piano Concertos publicly. Two years later she received Portugal's top prize for young musicians. In the following years, she studied with Professor Campos Coelho at the Lisbon Conservatory, taking courses in composition, theory, and history of music. She continued her studies in Germany, first in the Musikakademie of Munich with Rosl Schmidt and then in Hanover with Karl Engel.

Recognition

International fame came in 1970, when she won the Beethoven Bicentennial Competition in Brussels. She has since then regularly performed with major orchestras throughout the world, interpreting works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Mozart, Brahms, Chopin and many other classical and romantic composers. She appears regularly with major world orchestras in Europe, America, Canada, Israel and Japan.

Recordings

She appears as a solo artist and in chamber music: her many successful recordings include Moonlight, featuring Beethoven sonatas, Le Voyage Magnifique, the complete Impromptus of Schubert, Nocturnes and other works by Chopin, and Mozart Trios with Augustin Dumay (violin) and Jian Wang (cello).

She won the Prémio Pessoa in 1989. She also founded the Belgais Centre for Study of the Arts.

Gramophone (magazine) selected her recordings of the Chopin Nocturnes as the best version available: "I have no hesitation in declaring Maria Joao Pires – a pianist without a trace of narcissism – among the most eloquent master-musicians of our time" (Bryce Morrison).^[1]

One of her best recordings is "Mozart: The Piano Sonatas". According to the Penguin Guide: "Maria João Pires is a stylist and a fine Mozartian. She is always refined yet never wanting in classical feeling, and she has a vital imagination. She strikes an ideal balance between poise and expressive sensibility, conveying a sense of spontaneity in everything she does".

Move to Brazil

In 2006 she moved to Lauro de Freitas - a town near Salvador, Brazil - and continues performing. At the time of her move, she commented that she had suffered much in Portugal due to her Belgais Centre project.^[2]

"The pianist Maria João Pires confirmed that she is considering asking for Brazilian nationality in such a way as to have dual nationality, and not to renounce her Portuguese citizenship as was previously stated. Her lawyer sent a note to Lusa, in which he denies the 'supposed will' of Maria João Pires 'to renounce her Portuguese nationality' due to a 'supposed irritation' with the Government."^[3]

References

1. ^ Gramophone Recommended Recordings
2. ^ Maria João Pires troca Belgais por nova vida no Brasil, article in Portuguese in Público
3. ^ maria-joao-pires-afirma-pretensao-de-dupla-nacionalidade article in Portuguese at noticias.portugalmail.pt

Sources

• Belgais Centre
• Biography

Persondata
Name	Pires, Maria Joao
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Date of birth	July 23, 1944
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