David Fray (FR)

The most popular instrumentalists in classical music are the pianists, and the same is true of the instrument's literature. It's easy to imagine the competition for a place in the narrow circle of the world's most famous and respected pianists. Nowadays it is not uncommon for extreme appearances, flamboyant, eccentric behaviour, and star power to be required to attract attention - alongside maximum preparation and refined playing technique, of course.

David Fray has long been one of the best, and he's still young. He is often criticised for his powerful playing gestures, but this is not what he has built his reputation on, nor is it really a message to the audience, but rather a sign of extraordinary concentration. He has an original, creative approach to the music, but at the same time he is a stickler for musical fidelity, following every subtle, sensitive nuance of the work. This is his secret, and it is the hardest way! 

He loves to play works by German composers, he says, because of the challenge, and his critics praise his interpretation of Bach with the greatest enthusiasm. In Veszprém he will also show us another side of him, less known but all the dearer to us, as he will dazzle the audience of the Hangvilla with works by Liszt and Schubert.

Pianist David Fray has been described by the German newspaper Die Welt as "the perfect example of a thinking musician", while the New York Times has praised him for his "musically sophisticated and technically elegant performances”. Celebrated for his interpretations of music from Bach to Boulez, he has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in the world's most prestigious concert halls.

He has worked with leading conductors such as Semyon Bicskov, Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Järvi, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and has appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestre National de France.

In the United States, he has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Chicago's Symphony Center, and is a regular at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Wigmore Hall in London and the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris.

Programme: 
Schubert: Three Piano Pieces D.946 - No. 2
Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy in C major, D.760 
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Liszt: Sposalizio S.161 No. 1 - Années de pèlerinage II, “Italie” piano cycle 
Liszt: The Fountains of the Villa d'Este S.163 No. 4 - Années de pèlerinage III piano cycle  
Liszt: Sonetto 104 del Petrarca S. 161 – 5 - Années de pèlerinage II ″Italie” piano cycle 
Liszt: Dante Sonata S.161 No. 7 - Années de pèlerinage II ″Italie” piano cycle