With a program entirely devoted to Beethoven and Schubert, the world-famous Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov comes to Imola on Saturday November 24th (9.00 pm) at the Ebe Stignani Theatre.

Grigory Sokolov, born in Saint Petersburg when he was still called Leningrad, at twelve he held his first public recital. His prodigious talent was recognized in 1966 when, at only sixteen, he became the youngest musician to win the First Prize at the International Čajkovskij Competition in Moscow.

While Sokolov undertook major concert tours in the United States and Japan in the 1970s, his talent evolved and matured away from the spotlight of the international media. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sokolov began to appear more frequently in major concert venues and European festivals, until he reached the current level of technique and fame. In fact, Sokolov holds about seventy concerts a season in all the major European venues.

His profound knowledge of music allows him to face a vast repertoire with great interpretation. Grigory Sokolov reads the score reworking it in unpredictable ways for different interpretations. This mysterious ability intersects with the almost “human” relationship that Sokolov entertains with pianos: before every performance he spends many hours in contact with the instrument, to understand its potential, its personality, its secrets.

For the occasion Sokolov will perform the Bagattelle and the Sonata No. 3 in C major by Beethoven together with Schubert’s Improvvisi.