Maria João Pires (Portuguese: [mɐˈɾiɐ ʒwɐɐ ũũˈ piɾɨʃ ;] born in Lisbon, Portugal, 23 July 1944) is a Portuguese pianist. & & & & & & & 1 Musical studies 2 Professional career 3 Recordings 4 Partial Discography 5 Move to Brazil 6 References 7 Sources Contents [hide] Musical studies[edit] Her first recital was at the age of five, and at the age of seven she was already playing Mozart piano concertos publicly. Two years later she received Portugal's top prize for young musicians. In the following years, she studied with Campos Coelho at the Lisbon Conservatory, taking courses in composition, theory, and history of music. She continued her studies in Germany, first in the Musikakademie of Munich with Rosl Schmidt and then in Hanover with Karl Engel. Professional career[edit] International fame came in 1970, when she won the Beethoven Bicentennial Competition in Brussels. Subsequently she performed with major orchestras in Europe, America, Canada, Israel and Japan, interpreting works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Mozart, Brahms, Chopin and other classical and romantic composers. Her professionalism achieved worldwide recognition when a film (from 1999) was drawn to the attention of the press and went viral in 2013 - at the start of a lunchtime concert in Amsterdam she realised she had rehearsed for a different Mozart concerto from the one the orchestra had started playing; quickly recovering, she played the concerto from memory.[1] [2] Recordings[edit] Pires performs as a solo artist and in chamber music: her many successful recordings include Moonlight. featuring Beethoven sonatas. According to the Penguin Guide: "Maria João Pires is a stylist and a fine Mozartian. Deutsche Grammophon ) Schubert (2013. Nocturnes and other works by Chopin. She strikes an ideal balance between poise and expressive sensibility. She is always refined yet never wanting in classical feeling. and founded the Belgais Centre for Study of the Arts in 1999. & 26 (2013.Pires performed at the BBC Proms in 2010. Onyx Classics) Mozart: Piano Concertos 14. Deutsche Grammophon) Chopin (2008. In an interview beforehand she said that after 60 years of recitals and concerts she had cut back her performances but was non-committal about retirement. the complete Impromptus of Schubert. Deutsche Grammophon) . Le Voyage Magnifique. Partial Discography[edit] Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3 & 4 (2014. and she has a vital imagination. Deutsche Grammophon) Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (2001. 17.[3] Gramophone selected her recordings of the Chopin nocturnes as the best version available: "I have no hesitation in declaring Maria João Pires—a pianist without a trace of narcissism—among the most eloquent master-musicians of our time" (Bryce Morrison). conveying a sense of spontaneity in everything she does". Piano Quintet (2000. and Mozart Trios with Augustin Dumay (violin) and Jian Wang (cello). She won the Pessoa Prize in 1989. 21. [4] One of her acclaimed recordings is "Mozart: The Piano Sonatas". Erato ) Schumann: Piano Concerto. Tzigane (1996. Erato) Move to Brazil[edit] In 2006 she moved to Lauro de Freitas—a town near Salvador.494 (1993. Deutsche Grammophon) Mozart: Piano Sonatas K. she commented that she had suffered much adverse publicity in Portugal due to her Belgais Centre project to help tackle the significant problem of underprivileged children.533/K. a project that the Portuguese Government helped to fund but publicly shied away from. Brazil —and continued performing. 2 Scherzi (1989. Deutsche Grammophon) Mozart: Piano Sonatas K. Erato) Franck.281. Deutsche Grammophon) Mozart: The Great Concertos for Piano (1978.331 & 457. Deutsche Grammophon) Schubert: Sonata. [5] The centre continued to operate at her farm in Portugal[3] and she subsequently started similar projects in Brazil. K. Ravel: Berceuse.[2] .282. 6 Moments Musicaux. Habanera. At the time of her move.397 & 475 (1990. Debussy: Violin Sonatas.Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (1999. K. Fantasias K.