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of Macedonia
is among the smaller nations
of Europe, so it’s not surprising
that few of its musicians have
reached the highest ranks in
the classical music rmament.
Described by
e Guardian
as
“wondrously talented,” pianist
Simon Trpčeski is the most
notable exception, and Chica-
go audiences have been fortu-
nate to hear his consummate
artistry many times over the
past decade.
In
, the pianist made
his made his Chicago Sym-
phony Orchestra debut in
Orchestra Hall with conductor
Ludovic Morlot performing
the Tchaikovsky Concerto
No. , an event he recalls with
great fondness. “ e CSO
is one of the top orchestras
in the world, and its clear,
transparent, and powerful
sound is a motivation for every
artist. We played four con-
certs, and it was amazing to
constantly experience the high
professionalism of the musi-
cians as well as the wonderful
reaction of the audience.”
Last summer Ravinia au-
diences were treated to a rare
doubling of concerto appear-
ances by Trpčeski. e rst
was a reprise of that debut per-
formance of the Tchaikovsky
from a decade earlier, this
time with maestro Dima
Slobodeniouk. A mere two
weeks later he was called in to
substitute for Denis Matsuev
in Rachmanino ’s Rhapsody
on a eme of Paganini, with
Michael Stern on the podium.
Trpčeski’s acclaimed debut
recording on EMI Classics also
S
T
Taking hold of
his music’s roots
By Michael Cameron
RAVINIA MAGAZINE | JULY 23 – AUGUST 5, 2018
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