World-renowned pianist brings classical masterpieces to North Macedonia

Chinese pianist Sihen Song will give a solo piano concert at Ohrid's St. Sophia Church at 9 pm as part of Ohrid Summer in North Macedonia.

The concert program features "Clair de lune," the third movement from Claude Debussy's "Suite bergamasque, L. 75"; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K. 545; and Frédéric Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28, CE Report quotes MIA.

Song will also perform his own compositions, "Light of the City of Shanghai" and the Nocturne and Étude from his "Piano Poems from the Earth, Op. 2" as well as Chinese composer Peixun Chen's "Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake."

Sihen Song (b. 1981, Shanghai) is regarded as one of the top pianists of his generation. He studied in France at L'École normale de musique de Paris under Marian Rybicki. After receiving his concert pianist diploma, he went on to study with Olivier Gardon at the Conservatoire de Paris and studied privately with Dominique Merlet.

He has won numerous piano competitions, including the Pontoise Piano Campus Concours, Morocco International Piano Concours, Viseu International Competition in Portugal and Grand Prix Animato International Concours. Also, he is the first Chinese pianist to win the prestigious Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition held in Paris.

Since his Paris victory in 2004, Song has toured extensively worldwide, performing in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Berlin, London and New York. He released an album on Deutsche Grammophon in 2008, with a launch ceremony held at the Louvre in Paris.

He has played at the Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron in France, Ruhr Festival in Germany, Beethoven Festival in Bonn and Chopin Festival in Duszniki in Poland, among others.

He has appeared as soloist with the Orchestra de Paris, Orchestra Philharmonic de Radio France, Orchestra Nationale de France and Orchestra Nationale de Lille. He has given chamber recitals with the Chamber Orchestra of Toulouse and Chamber Orchestra of Vienna. He has also performed with the Monte Carlo Phiharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, China Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic.

In 2009, he became the resident artist of the Shanghai Grand Theater. He has recorded several CDs for Radio France and DG to great acclaim.

Since 2010, he has given multimedia concerts combining theater pieces, images and excerpts from literature, bringing classical music and the piano recital format closer to 21st-century audiences.

Photo: Pexels (Free Stock Photos)