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"Instantly
impressed as a pianist with a big technique, a lively mind, and a passionate
commitment to the music"
The New York Times |
PETER
VINOGRADE, PIANIST |
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Pianist Peter Vinograde has developed a reputation as an outstanding interpreter of J.S. Bach and contemporary composers. He annually tours the U.S., Canada, and Asia. His most recent Asian appearances have included three China tours: in solo recital, with the Macao Orchestra, and with flautist Lydia Yang to promote their new CD. This season’s Bach Birthday Concert at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church features the Musical Offering in addition to other solo and chamber works.
As a chamber musician, Peter Vinograde has appeared at the Bard, Bargemusic, Caramoor, and Wolftrap Festivals. As a collaborative artist, he toured throughout Asia with violinist Midori, including her Singapore debut, also performing with her at the Cape Cod and Mostly Mozart Festivals.
Last season featured Mozart's Concerto #25 in both Indiana and Santa Fe and a podcast of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue from an outdoor concert in Zion National Park. It also included a solo recital at Washington, D.C.'s National Gallery (part of the American Music Festival), a return to Santa Fe to play Mozart's Concerto #9, and chamber concerts in Macao, China and Taiwan.
In conjunction with his new class at the Manhattan School of Music, Bach for Pianists, Dr. Vinograde presents the Goldberg Variations in lecture/recital form at conservatories and universities, including Juilliard this season. In addition, recent Canadian tours included Bach's D minor and F minor Concerti, paired with the Goldbergs. World premiere performances have included Nicolas Flagello's Concerto #3 (1962) with Nicholas Palmer and the Owensboro (KY) Symphony, Hal Campbell's Piano Concerto (1997) in Utah, and Mark Zuckerman's On the Edges (1996) in Taiwan. Dr. Vinograde's numerous distinctions began with first prize in the 1971 J.S. Bach International Competition, followed by his New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall and an N.E.A.-sponsored Lincoln Center recital at Alice Tully Hall. He has been featured on NPR's Performance Today and CBC-TV's the Journal. CDs include releases on Albany, CBC, Linfair (Decca) and Phoenix.
Peter Vinograde teaches at the Manhattan School of Music, where he was a student of Zenon Fishbein, and at Lehman College (CUNY).
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Photo Credit: Jeffrey Langford Reviews “Bach’s Toccata in D major (BWV 912) and Beethoven’s Les Adieux Sonata (Op. 81a) bristled with brio, bolstered by an almost orchestral approach to sound production that vibrantly resonated within the hall. The shorter pieces by Canadian composer Michael Matthews, and further Études by Chopin (Op.25 No.1) and Rachmaninov (Op.33 No.6) also gleamed like sparkling gems.” Straits Times, Singapore, 6/26/09 "Peter Vinograde took charge of Mozart's Piano Concerto #25 in C Major".."Vinograde displayed a brilliance seldom experienced in other Mozart performances. 'Thrilling' is the key word here. Of special note was the original cadenza section in the first movement composed by the artist. Being faithful to the style of the composer, Vinograde incorporated his own showpiece into the concerto as seamlessly as though Mozart himself had placed it there in 1786."Lafayette (Indiana) Courier and Journal, 1/14/09 A Virtuoso's Tribute to the Brilliance of Bach"Purely and simply, with distinct clarity of style, he wended his way through the opening melody" (of the Goldberg Variations). "Then he was off. Taking us with him every note of the way, Vinograde brought us on a voyage through Bach's imaginative brilliance, as surely as if he had taken us by the hand. Playful scampers across the keyboard, demonstrating the lightest, nimblest touch; powerful transitions, with what were revolutionary harmonies in their time; fiery passages with hands crossing over one another, all were packed into this 30-variation work. Vinograde approached this marathon with selfless honesty, excellent balance and, when called for, a fluid vocal quality. The second half of the program featured the F minor and D minor piano concerti." Vinograde "truly shone in these works, displaying thrilling technique, musicality and enthusiasm, making for the best live performance this reviewer has heard to date. The much-loved Largo in BWV 1056 was a true chef d'oeuvre. Taken at the perfect flowing tempo, with pristine pizzicato backing from the VCP, Vinograde's exquisite ornamentation and sonorous bass accompaniment from Nagelberg, it was captivating. Happy Birthday, Johann!" Winnipeg Free Press, 3/31/08 Vinograde's "wonderful clarity of articulation and sensitivity of phrase was a delight to hear." The Business Times, Singapore, 7/1/05 (Recital with Midori) Manchester Music Festival Shines: "fine performers were found for each of the pieces," including "pianist Peter Vinograde...The MMF cultivates and reflects the warmth and friendliness of its whole creation and it shows in the performances. The Schubert five-movement 'Trout' quintet, which ended the evening, was a good example of this; first-rate players enjoying each other's playing as well as the music. It was a familiar piece but ever delightful." Bennington (Vermont) Banner, 7/30/08
.."The mystical skills of pianist Peter Vinograde as he performed Beethoven's Concerto #3 in C minor.." St. George (UT) Spectrum and Daily News, 6/4/06
"It would be hard to imagine
anyone nodding off during Vinograde's incendiary performances. It's
not simply that the clarity of the textures, the focus of his gestures,
and the searing precision of his articulation give every measure a distinctive
profile. Beyond that, the punch of his rhythms (try the staggering
toccata sections of the Zuckerman or the more extreme moments in the Copland
Piano Fantasy) gives the music, even at its thickest, a rugged sense of
linear progress, and his imposing left hand gives the climaxes a pulverizing
sense of culmination. The results can be almost harrowing in their
concentrated intensity, but they inevitably sweep you along. In
sum, this is astounding pianism." Rabinowitz, Fanfare " Vinograde's more muscular,
more incisive, and (when called for) faster playing makes for more excitement
and strength and imparts more monumentality to the work. I find
it thrilling, especially in Phoenix's spacious, high-impact sonics" (comparison
of Copland Fantasy recordings). Lehman, American Record Guide "The premiere of Flagello's
Piano Concerto #3 was absolutely superb by any possible measure.
Vinograde was perfectly comfortable in his role as protagonist for the
late composer, as were Palmer and the OSO as they led the audience through
three movements of high 'verismo' drama in a style not unlike that of
Puccini and a mystery akin to that of Bartok." Owensboro (KY) Messenger-Inquirer
"Striking clarity (Bach)..Exquisitely
sultry playing (Albeniz)..It was playing always musical, always intelligent,
and panoramic in scope. There was no question of technique, really; the
fire and fury consumed everything in sight. For doing things in his own
way, he has few peers." L.A. Times Erich Itor Kahn's
Chaconne in Time of War (1943) "was very moving and expertly played by
pianist Peter Vinograde..." Le Concertographe 'The highlight
of the symphony's performance was the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3..Vinograde
didn't falter..he attacked the frenzied presto passages with fiery passion
and precision..an immense talent.' Dubuque (IA) Herald |
