Piano Virtuoso Yefim Bronfman Joins Palm Beach Symphony as it Rings in the New Year with “Romance and Rebirth”

Yefim Bronfman- Credit Dario Acosta

Hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “a fearless pianist for whom no score is too demanding,” piano virtuoso Yefim Bronfman joins Maestro Gerard Schwarz and Palm Beach Symphony for the Masterworks Series 3 concert Romance and Rebirth at the Kravis Center on Monday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Bronfman performs Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, which the composer wrote to make his own highly-anticipated debut in the United States. The work is one of two Palm Beach Symphony repertoire premieres in the program alongside Liadov’s Kikimora, Op. 63, which brings to life the Russian folk tale of a mischievous and vengeful spirit. The all-Russian program concludes with Shostakovich’s commanding Symphony No. 5, the work of such undeniable brilliance it brought him international fame and restored the composer’s favor and safety with the Soviet authorities for a brief time.

“One of the great pianists of our time, one of my favorite pianists, is Yefim Bronfman,” said Maestro Schwarz. “He and I have worked together for probably 40 years. He is a consummate artist, a great gentleman, and playing one of the most difficult and beautiful pieces ever written for piano and orchestra.”

Internationally recognized as one of today’s most acclaimed and admired pianists, Bronfman stands among a handful of artists regularly sought by festivals, orchestras, conductors and recital series. As 2021/22 Artist-in-Residence with the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Bronfman’s season began on tour with the orchestra in Europe and will conclude with the world premiere of a concerto commissioned for him from Elena Firsova. The fall continued with the Enescu Festival, Bucharest and return visits to the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics and symphonies of Boston, Houston, St. Louis, San Francisco, Montreal, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Oregon, San Antonio and Cincinnati. In recital he can be heard at Carnegie Hall as well as in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Chicago in addition to Italy, Russia, Spain and Germany. With the Munich Philharmonic he will visit Vienna and Frankfurt; Luxembourg and Paris with the Concertgebouw; London with the Philharmonia and Israel with the Israel Philharmonic.

Bronfman’s commanding technique, power and exceptional lyrical gifts are consistently acknowledged by the press and audiences alike. The Los Angeles Times reported, “Bronfman is well known as a powerhouse pianist with a tone of crystalline clarity. When he turns the volume down, each note stands out like a perfectly shaped pearl. When he doesn’t, look out. You might get hit by flying chords.”

This fall, Maestro Schwarz received his eighth and ninth Emmy® Awards in a distinguished career that has also included: 14 GRAMMY nominations from the Recording Academy and its first “IMPACT” lifetime achievement award; eight ASCAP Awards including its Concert Music Award; and being the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America.

In South Florida, Maestro Schwarz is the Distinguished Professor of Music, Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and Music Director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival and Mozart Orchestra of New York. His extensive catalogue of more than 350 recordings includes The Gerard Schwarz Collection, a 30-CD box set, and a recently released recording of Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 with the New York Chamber Symphony.

The season continues with virtuoso pianist Maria João Pires in an evening of Beethoven and Mahler (March 7) and culminates with recent Kennedy Center Honor Awardee for Lifetime Artistic Achievement Midori in a season finale of three Palm Beach Symphony premieres (April 10).

This concert is underwritten by Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation and

Patricia Lambrecht. Peter M. Gottsegen, The Lachman Family Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park, Felicia Taylor/The Mary Hilem Taylor Foundation, DeLuca Foundation, Leonard and Norma Klorfine Foundation, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht, Dodie and Manley Thaler and the Thaler/Howell Foundation, NetJets, Lugano Diamonds, Findlay Galleries, HSS Florida, PNC Private Bank, The Colony Hotel, Related Companies, Provident Jewelry, IYC, Palm Beach Design Masters, Braman Motorcars, and Gent Row LLC are proud sponsors of Palm Beach Symphony. Programs are also sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

Tickets are $25-$95 and are available online at www.palmbeachsymphony.org; by phone at (561) 281-0145; or by visiting the Palm Beach Symphony Box Office, Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The Kravis Center is located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd in West Palm Beach.