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Lovro Pogorelić

pianist, Croatia

lovro_pogorelic

Lovro Pogorelich received his first piano lessons by his father, Ivan, an academic musician, and continued his studies with the Russian pianist Konstantin Bogino. At the age of thirteen he gave his first recital and two years later he had his orchestral debut performing Schumann's Concerto. He graduated in 1992 from the Music Academy of Zagreb, guided by Professor Zvjezdana Bašić. Under the patronage of the French foundation Crédit National, he spent the following year in Paris and recorded his first CD (Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition/Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7 on the Lyrinx label).

His next recording was a DVD of Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto with the Odense Symphony Orchestra and Edward Serov (Denon label). Apart from the numerous concerts in Croatia, he has performed in France (Palais des Festivals, Cannes), Switzerland, (Kongreshaus, Zürich), United Kingdom (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London), Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark (Tivoli and Radiohaus, Copenhagen), Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria (Bulgaria Hall, Sofia), Canada (Walter Hall, Toronto; Montreal), Japan (Suntory Hall, Tokyo; Kyoto) and USA (Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, New York), giving recitals as well as playing with various orchestras (Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovakian Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, St. John's Orchestra London, Orchestre Symphonique et Lirique de Nancy, Orchestre Cannes Provence Côte d'Azur, and the Odense Symphony Orchestra).

Piano works of the Russian masters (Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Prokofiev), as well as Chopin’s compositions, occupy a significant place in his repertoire. In December 2002 Pogorelich has appeared at the London Arts Festival in a recital titled “The Pianist”, promoting the music of Szpilmann, composer and pianist, the hero of Roman Polanski’s movie.

His ongoing projects include an appearance with the Symphony Orchestra Kuopia (Finland) featuring his performance of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto. In 1999, he established the Summer Festival in the Town of Pag, and has been its Artistic Director since then. Since 1998, Lovro Pogorelich has taught Piano at the Music Academy in Zagreb. In 2001, he also started to teach for the "Summer Piano School Lovro Pogorelich" in Koper, Slovenia. The Croatian Radio-Television Broadcasting Corporation produced a documentary film "Lovro Pogorelich" in 1995.