Passionate piano virtuoso Khatia Buniatishvili relishes Hong Kong return for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 20
- French-Georgian, one of classical music’s most dynamic young performers, will perform with Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra on May 3 and 4
- Award-winning musician’s first appearance in city since 2016 forms part of international concerts in support of new album, ‘Schubert’
Watching footage of the French-Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili rip her way through Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition – a popular showpiece for virtuosos – her passion for playing is clearly evident.
Her curly black bobbed hair flails as her body moves in time to fingers darting deftly up and down the keys with exhilarating speed: it’s a blistering, steely-wristed technique that has garnered plenty of admirers.
I’m so excited and feel so lucky that I get to play around the world and discover different countries, orchestras, composers and musicians
Born in Georgia, the two-time Echo Klassik award-winner began playing the piano at the age of three under her mother’s tutelage; three years later, she was performing with the Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra.
The star returns
Her spirited approach to the classics has won the pianist legions of fans the world over and those in Hong Kong are in for a treat next month. After making her debut in the city in 2016, the musician is returning at the invitation of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to perform on May 3 and 4.
Buniatishvili will open the concerts at Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Concert Hall with her rendition of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 20 before music director Jaap van Zweden, who is regarded as the “leading interpreter of Bruckner’s symphonies”, presents Bruckner’s Symphony No 7.
Despite the busiest of schedules, the pianist can still recall her last visit to the city.
