Alexander Paley, piano

with pianist Peiwen Chen

Saturday, 

January 4, 2013

8:00 PM 

Free

(donations welcome)

Westmoreland Congregational UCC Church

1 Westmoreland Cir.

Bethesda, MD 20816

Directions 

Program

The Rite of Spring for 4-hand piano....Stravinsky

13 Preludes, Op. 32....Rachmaninoff 

Post-concert wine and Q&A with Mr. Paley & Ms. Chen 

Alexander Paley is widely acclaimed for his dazzling technical prowess, his exceptionally broad and extensive repertoire of concerti and solo piano works, and the depth of his unique and personal interpretations. Originally from Moldova, Paley won the National Music Competition of Moldova. After study at the Moscow Conservatory he went on to win major awards, including First Prize at the Leipzig International Bach Competition, the Bosendorfer Prize, the Grand Prix at the first International Pancho Vladigerov Competition (Bulgaria), the Grand Prix Young Artist Debut (New York), First Prize at Aiex de Vries (Belgium) and Les Victoires de la Musique Classique (France).

A favorite with audiences in Washington, DC, a Washington Post recital review began: "Once in a while, never often enough, a recital is so exhilarating that it reaches far into the intermission, which becomes a delicious interlude between the lingering vapors of superlative artistry already experienced and the enormous pleasure of knowing there is still more to come." His annual performances for the Washington Conservatory concert series have included the complete Mozart Solo Sonatas and an "all Liszt concert" that was heard on WETA's "Front Row Washington" in 2011.

Prior to his defection to the United States in 1988, Mr. Paley performed frequently throughout the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Mr. Paley now continues to perform extensively throughout Europe and China, including concerti performances with orchestras including the Orchestre National de France, the MDR Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre Philharmonique Monte Carlo, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Orchestre de Paris, and Montreal Symphony. His recital appearances include Radio France (Paris), the Grande Interprètes series (Lyon), Leipzig Gewandhaus, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Laeiszhall (Hamburg), Lille Piano Festival, Opera Theatre of Bescanson, Theatre des Champs-Elysees, The Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing,China), and in other cities including Nancy, Metz, Bourges, Amiens (France), Linz and Vienna (Austria), and many locations in Germany. Mr. Paley has made numerous recordings of a wide range of works.

Peiwen Chen, from Taipei, Taiwan, graduated from the National Academy of Art with the highest honors and from the Mannes College The New School for Music in New York. Ms. Chen made her debut at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 1995, and since then has been regularly performing solo and chamber music works throughout the U.S.A., France, Germany, and Italy. Ms. Chen has collaborated with artists such as Licia Albanese, Elly Ameling, Martha Eggerth-Kiepura, Regina Resnik, and Jon Vickers among others.

Ms. Chen frequently performs 4-hand and two piano concerts with husband, Alexander Paley. Yearly performances include the Alexander Paley Chamber Music Festival in Richmond, VA, as well as in Moulin d'Ande in France. Other recent performances include Salle Olivier Messiaen in Maison de Radio France performing Concerto Pathetique for two pianos by Liszt, and Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov in Seattle, WA. The duo performed the Mozart and Mendelssohn Piano Concertos for two pianos with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra in Vilnius, Lithuania, which was broadcast on T.V.