SEASON 2Episode 5: Sonatas
Coming in July 2025!
Garrick Ohlsson and Ben Laude explore Chopin’s multi-movement masterpieces, the Sonatas.
Featuring
Martín García García
3rd Prize, 2021 International Chopin Competition
Martín García García is considered one of the pianists with the greatest international projection. Martín García García has appeared in important venues across Europe, America, and Asia, receiving highly positive reviews from figures like Vladimir Krainev, Dmitri Alexeev, Arcadi Volodos, Dimitri Bashkirov, Joaquín Achúcarro, and Tatiana Copeland (niece of Sergei Rachmaninoff). He has received major global recognitions, including first prize at the 2021 Cleveland International Piano Competition and third place at the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition. In the latter competition, he also received the special award from the Warsaw Philharmonic National Orchestra for the best concerto performance. He released his debut album “Chopin and His Master” in 2022, a production performed by the artist himself, and his second one, “Even-Tide”, was released on all platforms in 2024.
Yulianna Avdeeva
1st Prize, 2010 International Chopin Competition
A pianist of fiery temperament and virtuosity, Yulianna Avdeeva is the First Prize winner of the 2010 International Chopin Piano Competition, which launched her to international fame for “consistently [leading] the field, in terms of sheer passion and musicianship, not to mention technical security,” in performances that were “full of depth and colour” (The Telegraph). In 2022 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised Avdeeva a “one-woman powerhouse of epic stature.” #YuliannasMusicalDialogues is an engaging online initiative that provides an open space for her followers and piano aficionados. Through regular informal social media posts, she opens up an online dialogue about a selected composer’s life and work, paying special attention to details of notable pieces, deconstructing the art of performance.
Eric Lu
1st prize, 2015 US National Chopin Competition
4th prize, 2015 International Chopin Competition
Born in Massachusetts in 1997, Eric Lu first came to international attention as a Laureate of the 2015 Chopin International Competition in Warsaw aged just 17. He was also awarded the International German Piano Award in 2017, and Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2021. Eric Lu won First Prize at The Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018 at the age of 20. The following year, he signed an exclusive contract with Warner Classics, and has since collaborated with some of the world's most prestigious orchestras, and presented in major recital venues. Eric was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2019-22. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Robert McDonald and Jonathan Biss. He was also a pupil of Dang Thai Son.
Critic’s Corner
Jed Distler on Great Recordings of
Chopin’s Sonatas
Jed Distler is a composer, pianist, music writer, and arts presenter based in New York. He is the official Gramophone blogger for the International Chopin Competition.