Maria-Joao Pires

Composers

Biography

Born: July 23, 1944  
Acclaimed as one of the greatest interpreters of Mozart, Portuguese pianist Maria-João Pires is an artist who combines exquisite stylistic refinement with a serious effort to plumb the intellectual complexities and spiritual depths of music. Refusing to conform to the traditional image of a concert virtuoso, Pires emphasizes the spiritual dimensions of music, always searching for hidden meanings which may elude the analytical performer. Read more This remarkable reverence towards works of music, clearly manifested in her performances of Mozart, was made explicit by her remark that, as a performer, she acts as a channel for the composer's ideas. Interestingly, Pires views both the composer and the performer as conduits for a transcendent force. However, while approaching the work of music with immense awe, Pires is acutely aware of its formal structure, finding a certain transparency in the most intricate formal constructions. In her performances of Romantic masters, particularly Chopin and Schumann, Pires masterfully reconciles her passionate experience of the music with an admirable appreciation for the inner logic of the work she is interpreting. Reflecting her vast emotional range, her tone, as critics have observed, encompasses a dizzying variety of intensities, from an almost imperceptible lightness to an imposing monumentality, with a rich scale of intervening nuances. Another hallmark of her style is her uncanny ability to capture, and convey, the precise variety of inner movement which constitutes the being of a particular musical creation.

Pires started playing at the age of three, giving her first public performance two years later. Pires performed Mozart concertos when she was seven and received Portugal's major prize for musicians at nine. She studied with Campos Coelho and Francine Benoit at the Lisbon Conservatory, graduating at 16. Post-graduate studies took her to Germany, where she studied with Rösl Schmidt, in Munich, and with Karl Engel, in Hanover. In 1970, she won the Beethoven Bicentennial Competition in Brussels. Pires made her London debut in 1986, and she first played in New York three years later. She has performed with the major European and American orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Often praised for her extraordinary renditions of Mozart's works, Pires has shown a remarkable affinity with several of the greatest composers, including Bach, Chopin, and Schubert. An enormously successful recording artist, Pires, who since 1989 records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon, released several critically acclaimed discs, including a Bach disc, recordings of Chopin's Nocturnes and Schubert's Impromptus, and a recording of two Mozart concertos with Claudio Abbado. Her recording of Mozart's complete sonatas received the 1990 Grand Prix du Disque. Since 1989, Pires has been an enthusiastic performer of chamber music, touring Europe and the Far East with violinist Augustin Dumay. Forming a trio with Dumay and cellist Jian Wang, Pires toured the Far East in 1998, playing Beethoven's Concerto for piano, violin, cello, and orchestra in several European centers in 1999. In 2000, Pires decided to take several months off in order to concentrate on a variety of educational projects in Portugal. Several collections of her performances, including Artist Portrait: Maria-João Pires, appeared in the early 2000s. Read less

Featured Maria-Joao Pires CDs & DVDs:

Mendelssohn: Symphony no 3, Hebrides; Schumann: Piano Concerto / Pires, Gardiner [SACD+Blu-ray]
Mendelssohn: Symphony no 3, Hebrides; Schumann: Piano Concerto / Pires, Gardiner [SACD+Blu-ray]
Release Date: 10/14/2014   Label: Lso Live  
Catalog: 765   Number of Discs: 1
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Mozart: Piano Concertos 14, 17, 21 / Pires, Abbado
Mozart: Piano Concertos 14, 17, 21 / Pires, Abbado
Release Date: 11/08/2005   Label: Deutsche Grammophon  
Catalog: 4775747   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 1-25 of 81 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    100 Classical Masterworks
    100 Classical Masterworks
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 002188102 Release Date: 01/06/2015   Number of Discs: 5
    Composer:  Richard Strauss,  Edvard Grieg,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Giuseppe Verdi  ... 
    Performer:  Lorin Maazel,  Neeme Järvi,  Herbert von Karajan,  Carlo Maria Giulini  ... 
    Conductor:  Lorin Maazel,  Neeme Järvi,  Herbert von Karajan,  Carlo Maria Giulini  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Bolshoi Theater Violin Ensemble,  Ansbach Bach Week Soloists Union,  Salzburg Mozarteum Camerata Academica  ... 
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  • 2.
    Mendelssohn: Symphony no 3, Hebrides; Schumann: Piano Concerto / Pires, Gardiner [SACD+Blu-ray]
    Mendelssohn: Symphony no 3, Hebrides; Schumann: Piano Concerto / Pires, Gardiner [SACD+Blu-ray]
    Label: Lso Live   Catalog: 765 Release Date: 10/14/2014   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Felix Mendelssohn,  Robert Schumann
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires
    Conductor:  John Eliot Gardiner
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra
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  • 3.
    Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3 & 4 / Pires, Harding, Swedish Radio Orchestra
    Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3 & 4 / Pires, Harding, Swedish Radio Orchestra
    Label: Onyx (Classical Label)   Catalog: 4125 Release Date: 08/12/2014   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires
    Conductor:  Daniel Harding
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
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  • 4.
    Maria Joao Pires - Complete DG Solo Recordings [20-CD Set]
    Maria Joao Pires - Complete DG Solo Recordings [20-CD Set]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 002093102 Release Date: 07/29/2014   Number of Discs: 20
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Frédéric Chopin,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  ... 
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires,  Pavel Gomziakov,  Ricardo Castro
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  • 5.
    Maria Joao Pires - The Complete Erato Recordings
    Maria Joao Pires - The Complete Erato Recordings
    Label: Erato   Catalog: 631065 Release Date: 06/24/2014   Number of Discs: 17
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Franz Schubert  ... 
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires,  Huseyin Sermet
    Conductor:  Claudio Scimone,  Theodor Guschlbauer,  Armin Jordan,  Michel Corboz
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  I Solisti Veneti,  Lisbon Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra,  Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne  ... 
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  • 6.
    Bach Masterworks - The Original Jackets Collection
    Bach Masterworks - The Original Jackets Collection
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001929902 Release Date: 12/10/2013   Number of Discs: 50
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Hertha Töpper,  Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,  Maria Stader,  Ernst Haefliger  ... 
    Conductor:  Karl Richter,  John Eliot Gardiner,  Rainer Kussmaul,  Reinhard Goebel  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Munich Bach Orchestra,  Munich Bach Choir,  English Baroque Soloists  ... 
    CD: $175.49
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  • 7.
    Erato - 50 CD Collection
    Erato - 50 CD Collection
    Label: Erato   Catalog: 46441 Release Date: 11/19/2013   Number of Discs: 50
    Composer:  Tomaso Albinoni,  Giuseppe Tartini,  Georg Philipp Telemann,  Giuseppe Torelli  ... 
    Performer:  Maurice André,  Pierre Pierlot,  Paul Hongne,  Jacques Chambon  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Neville Marriner,  Jean-François Paillard,  Frigyes Sándor,  Kent Nagano  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ens.,  Paillard Chamber Orchestra,  Vienna Soloists  ... 
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  • 8.
    The Wigmore Hall Recital / Pires, Meneses
    The Wigmore Hall Recital / Pires, Meneses
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001893002 Release Date: 10/08/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Schubert,  Johannes Brahms,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires,  Antonio Meneses
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  • 9.
    Chopin: Piano Masterpieces
    Chopin: Piano Masterpieces
    Label: Warner Classics   Catalog: 2564651479 Release Date: 08/27/2013   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires,  Elisabeth Leonskaja,  Nikolai Lugansky,  Francois-René Duchable  ... 
    Conductor:  Vladimir Ashkenazy
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  • 10.
    Martha Argerich And Friends Live From Lugano 2012
    Martha Argerich And Friends Live From Lugano 2012
    Label: Warner Classics   Catalog: 211192 Release Date: 05/21/2013   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Robert Schumann,  Gustav Mahler,  Johannes Brahms  ... 
    Performer:  Martha Argerich,  Maria-Joao Pires,  Gautier Capuçon,  Sascha Maisky  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Italian Switzerland Radio/TV Orchestra
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  • 11.
    Bach: Piano Concertos BWV 1052, 1055, 1056 / Pires, Corboz
    Bach: Piano Concertos BWV 1052, 1055, 1056 / Pires, Corboz
    Label: Apex   Catalog: 51916 Release Date: 04/30/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires
    Conductor:  Michel Corboz
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Gulbenkian Orchestra
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  • 12.
    Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2; 24 Preludes
    Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2; 24 Preludes
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001819002 Release Date: 04/02/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires
    Conductor:  Emmanuel Krivine,  André Previn
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  • 13.
    Beethoven Masterworks Collection [51-CD Set]
    Beethoven Masterworks Collection [51-CD Set]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001813172 Release Date: 03/19/2013   Number of Discs: 51
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer:  Janet Perry,  Agnes Baltsa,  Vinson Cole,  José Van Dam  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado,  John Eliot Gardiner,  Carlos Kleiber,  Leonard Bernstein  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique,  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
    CD: $163.49
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  • 14.
    Schubert: Piano Sonatas / Maria-joão Pires
    Schubert: Piano Sonatas / Maria-joão Pires
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001622502 Release Date: 03/05/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Schubert
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires
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  • 15.
    Mozart: Piano Sonatas / Maria João Pires
    Mozart: Piano Sonatas / Maria João Pires
    Label: Regis   Catalog: 1345 Release Date: 01/29/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires
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  • 16.
    Mozart 111 [55-CD Set]
    Mozart 111 [55-CD Set]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001766872 Release Date: 11/13/2012   Number of Discs: 55
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Géza Anda,  Emil Gilels,  Elena Gilels,  Maurizio Pollini  ... 
    Conductor:  Trevor Pinnock,  James Levine,  Herbert von Karajan,  Marc Minkowski  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  English Concert,  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
    CD: $175.49
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  • 17.
    Brahms: Complete Chamber Music [11-CD Collector's Edition]
    Brahms: Complete Chamber Music [11-CD Collector's Edition]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001725902 Release Date: 10/16/2012   Number of Discs: 11
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms
    Performer:  Augustin Dumay,  Maria-Joao Pires,  Christian Ferras,  Pierre Barbizet  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Emerson String Quartet,  Hagen String Quartet,  Amadeus String Quartet
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  • 18.
    Mozart: Piano Concertos No 27 & 20 / Pires, Abbado, Orchestra Mozart
    Mozart: Piano Concertos No 27 & 20 / Pires, Abbado, Orchestra Mozart
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001726002 Release Date: 09/18/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestra Mozart
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  • 19.
    The Debussy Edition [18-CD Set]
    The Debussy Edition [18-CD Set]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001676372 Release Date: 05/01/2012   Number of Discs: 18
    Composer:  Claude Debussy
    Performer:  Franklin Cohen,  Jean-Rodolphe Kars,  Vera Badings,  Krystian Zimerman  ... 
    Conductor:  Pierre Boulez,  Sir Alexander Gibson,  Bernard Haitink,  Eduard Van Beinum  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cleveland Orchestra,  Cleveland Orchestra Chorus,  London Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 20.
    Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 15-18
    Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 15-18
    Label: Regis   Catalog: 1382 Release Date: 03/13/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Maria-Joao Pires
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  • 21.
    111 - The Collector's Edition 2 [56-CD Set - Limited Edition]
    111 - The Collector's Edition 2 [56-CD Set - Limited Edition]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 4779142 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 56
    Composer:  Georges Bizet,  Sergei Prokofiev,  Maurice Ravel,  Ludwig van Beethoven  ... 
    Performer:  Stuart Harling,  Robert Lloyd,  Sherrill Milnes,  Placido Domingo  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado,  John Nelson,  Leonard Bernstein,  Jerzy Semkow  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  Ambrosian Singers,  George Watson's College Boys' Chorus  ... 
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  • 22.
    111 More Classic Tracks [6-CD Set - Limited Edition]
    111 More Classic Tracks [6-CD Set - Limited Edition]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001483202 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Georges Bizet,  Dmitri Shostakovich,  Franz Liszt,  Franz Joseph Haydn  ... 
    Performer:  Géza Anda,  Maurice André,  Stefan Askenase,  Martha Argerich  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado,  Karel Ancerl,  Hans Stadlmair,  John Nelson  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  Czech Philharmonic Orchestra,  Munich Chamber Orchestra  ... 
    CD: $24.99
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  • 23.
    Schumann Gold
    Schumann Gold
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001423002 Release Date: 05/25/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Robert Schumann
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz,  Radu Lupu,  Martha Argerich,  Mischa Maisky  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Georg Solti,  Rafael Kubelik,  André Previn,  Leonard Bernstein  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  London Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 24.
    Chopin Gold
    Chopin Gold
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001397602 Release Date: 02/23/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Vladimir Ashkenazy,  Martha Argerich,  Friedrich Gulda,  Rafal Blechacz  ... 
    CD: $16.99
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  • 25.
    Chopin Complete Edition [17-CD Set]
    Chopin Complete Edition [17-CD Set]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001382602 Release Date: 01/26/2010   Number of Discs: 17
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Elzbieta Szmytka,  Martin Martineau,  Martha Argerich,  Mstislav Rostropovich  ... 
    Conductor:  Eliahu Inbal,  Krystian Zimerman
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Beaux Arts Trio,  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Polish Festival Orchestra
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