Fairfield University presents zestful pianist Garrick Ohlsson on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Mr. Ohlsson, who at 6'4" has a commanding presence on stage, has established himself as a musician of tremendous vigor and exquisite interpretive power. One of the few pianists to have recorded the entire works of Frederic Chopin, he will be presenting an all Chopin program for the audience.

Ohlsson's admiration for the Polish-born French composer developed early on. The White Plains, N.Y. native studied at New York's Julliard School with the distinguished Chopin interpreters Sascha Gorodnitzki and Rosina Lhevinne. By age 21, he had won the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, the first American to do so. Still, he forsook the obvious route of concentrating on Chopin and chose instead to expand his repertory. Now in his early 50s, he has mastered a wide range of music from the classics, such as Liszt, Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, to 20th century composers.

He has also returned to his early love of Chopin. And while he says some of it can be "torturously difficult to play," once mastered, he observes, it can even feel comfortable "and becomes natural to play."

He spends about six months on the road, performing 90 to 100 engagements a year, and says he thrives on the busy schedule. Once he is playing at that level of performance, he feels it is easier to maintain it than to play a few concerts intermittently.

Ohlsson has dedicated many performances to Chopin, who many consider composed the greatest music written for the piano. Recordings by Ohlsson have given people around the world an appreciation of Chopin's music. Ohlsson has presented and performed the works of Chopin in New York, Toronto, Ann Arbor, Purchase (New York), London and Paris. He has also toured Poland almost a dozen times, where the people hold an incredible amount of respect and admiration for him.

Tickets for Garrick Ohlsson range from $30 to $24, depending on seating and discounts are also offered for senior citizens and children. For more information or reservations, please call the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. You may also visit the web site at www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 10-01-2001 09:10 AM

Volume: 34 Number: 78