EMI: 5178522

Prokofiev - Visions fugitives

An exclusive artist for EMI Classics Japan since 2003, whose career is now growing with extraordinary momentum, this release sees Ayako Uehara continue her exploration of Russian music from the nineteenth century: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet Op.75; the Piano Sonata No.7 in B flat major Op.83 and Vision Fugitives Op.22. A rare combination on disc. This repertoire is close to Ayako's heart - her passion for Russian music dating back to early studies in Japan with a visiting teacher from the Moscow Conservatory. Her understanding of this repertoire was clear when she became the youngest ever semi-finalist at the 1998 Tchaikovsky Competition, performing Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.Ayako soon became the focus of international attention, winning the first prize in the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, 2002, aged just 22. Significantly, she was the first woman and the first Japanese pianist to do so. Her debut album followed - a live recording from the competition - which was released in Japan and sold over 30,000 copies.Born in 1980 in Takamatsu, Japan, Ayako Uehara studied music at the Yamaha Music School from the age of three, taking lessons in piano, composition and general musicianship. In 1990, she graduated to the Yamaha Master Class studying piano under Fumiko Eguchi, Shinji Urakabe and Vera Gornostaeva. She is now sponsored exclusively by Yamaha. Based in Paris since 2002, Ayako now performs regularly with such renowned conductors as Valery Gergiev and Lorin Maazel. In order to produce the necessary depth and volume of sound, Uehara has to place her body-weight effectively on the keyboard, at times almost lifting herself off the piano stool. This adds to the special intensity that characterises her performances.