Mozarteumorchester Salzburg / Riccardo Minasi

In 2005 the whole of Poland was giddy with excitement: 30 years after Krystian Zimerman, one of their countrymen had finally won first prize at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw again, and had walked off with all the special prizes as well. The young Rafał Blechacz seemed like a godsend at the time, fêted all over the world for his simple and honest approach to Chopin: »Now music suddenly sounds pure again, pure and authentic, and some listeners think that Chopin himself is speaking to the audience – bright, lively, gripping and yet melancholy to the core,« wrote German weekly Die Zeit. But the sensitive young pianist was level-headed enough not to let his sudden fame consume him: with a total of only 40 appearances a year, he made himself scarce on the international concert scene. Thus it’s a special privilege to welcome Rafał Blechacz to the Elbphilharmonie with both the Chopin piano concertos.