
Emanuel Ax, piano

Seven-time Grammy® Award-winning pianist Emanuel Ax, renowned for his poetic lyricism and brilliant technique, returns to Masterseries with a program of Romantic masterpieces. The program includes an all-Chopin second half, showcasing Ax’s profound affinity for this composer. A Juilliard-trained pianist who launched his international career with a victory at the First Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 1974, Ax received the Avery Fisher Prize in 1979. He is also a dedicated chamber musician, frequent collaborator with Yo-Yo Ma, and a champion of contemporary composers. His extensive discography spans from the Classical era to the present day, reflecting a broad and deep engagement with the piano repertoire.
“What is striking about Mr. Ax’s playing is not its beauty, considerable though that is, but its determined honesty.”
–Bernard Holland, The New York Times