Louis Lortie, piano

French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has attracted critical acclaim throughout the world for exploring his interpretative voice across a broad repertoire rather than choosing to specialize in a particular style. The Times, describing his playing as “ever immaculate, ever imaginative”, has identified a “combination of total spontaneity and meditated ripeness that only great pianists have”.

His close identification with the works of Beethoven has been consolidated with complete sonata cycles at London’s Wigmore Hall, Toronto’s Ford Center, Berlin’s Philharmonie and the Sala Grande del Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan. Die Welt described his Berlin performances as “possibly the finest Beethoven since the times of Wilhelm Kempff.” In his native Montreal, as both pianist and conductor, he has performed all five Beethoven piano concertos and the complete Mozart piano concertos with the city’s symphony orchestra.

Mr. Lortie made his debut with the Montréal Symphony at the age of thirteen and three years later his first appearance with the Toronto Symphony led to an historic tour of the People’s Republic of China and Japan. In 1984, he won First Prize in the Busoni Competition and was also prizewinner at the Leeds Competition.