Raj Bhimani Piano Concert
April 26, 2008 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 26, 8:00 p.m.
Hudson Opera House
327 Warren Street, Hudson, NY
$15, $12 HOH members.
Pianist Raj Bhimani’s concerts are “virtuosic, heartfelt and eloquent,” writes New York Times critic Michael Kimmelman. Time Out NY noted him for being a “gifted and highly expressive pianist.” Mr. Bhimani performs regularly across North America, Europe and India. His performances have been broadcast on Indian National Radio and Television, Portuguese National Radio, and on WQXR and WHUS Radio in the United States. Recent New York performances include Merkin Concert Hall, the 92nd Street Y, St. Paul’s Chapel, and Saint Peter’s Church, where he performs frequently. Mr. Bhimani also appeared on the inaugural season of Baruch College’s Engelman Recital Hall, where he returned last season with clarinetist Anna Maria Baeza and cellist Eliot Bailen. Additional successes include Montreal, La Jolla, and Idaho State University, where his playing was lauded for “combining a searching intellect with emotional sensitivity and drama.”
Mr. Bhimani is a champion of new music, and has developed particular expertise in French piano literature. He has worked closely with composer Henri Dutilleux, who declared him “a great artist who performs with sensitivity and intelligence.” Composer Thérèse Brenet, moved by Mr. Bhimani’s performance of her previous work, composed for him To the West Wind, which Mr. Bhimani premiered in 2001, and Never, Never More, which he premiered in 2005. She just finished another work especially for Mr. Bhimani, Avec des éclats dorés d’éspérance, which is having its premiere in 2008.
Mr. Bhimani’s upcoming CD release on the Delatour label will include To the West Wind and Never, Never More, as well as Brenet’s Océanides, Debussy’s Etude pour les arpèges composées, and Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit. He is also due to release a recording of works by Schubert this season on the Delatour label. Mr. Bhimani continues to work with distinguished American mezzo-soprano Alice Baker. They are currently working on two CD’s of European and American songs. Mr. Bhimani’s next solo release will include late works of Brahms.
Mr. Bhimani has built a high reputation as an educator and has taught at the 92nd Street Y School of Music, New York University and Concordia College. In addition to a very busy private studio in New York, he is in great demand across the country for his educational outreach programs, which include master classes, private coaching for both soloists and chamber ensembles, and lecture-demonstrations, as well as lectures on French piano literature. Mr. Bhimani’s teaching methods establish a strong foundation of technical and musical skills, guiding students from beginners to concert-level performers, and he is a frequent judge and lecturer on piano pedagogy.