MIHAI RITIVOIU IS AN AWARD-WINNING ROMANIAN CLASSICAL PIANIST, LIVING IN LONDON.

HE HAS PERFORMED THROUGHOUT GREAT BRITAIN, ROMANIA, GERMANY, ITALY, FRANCE, SWITZERLAND AND JAPAN.

FIND DETAILS ABOUT HIS DEBUT ALBUM “TRANSCENDENCE” BELOW

 

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Photo: Alexandru Dolea

Photo: Alexandru Dolea

Born in Bucharest, the multi-awards pianist Mihai Ritivoiu won the Dinu Lipatti National Competition in 2010 and was laureate of numerous international competitions including the George Enescu Competition in 2011 (Bucharest), Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artist Competition in 2014 and Teresa Llacuna Competition in 2015 (Valence). Most recently, he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Intercollegiate Competition.

Mihai leads an international career performing solo and chamber music recitals in Europe and Asia. He also played concertos with the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra and the MDR Leipzig Radio Orchestra. Regularly invited to play on BBC Radio 3’s programme ‘In Tune’, his performances have been broadcast on Radio Romania Muzical, Radio Television Suisse and Medici TV. His debut album released under the label Genuin with solo works by Franck, Enescu and Liszt has been praised as “beautifully recorded, handsomely played - a solo recital to cherish” (The Arts Desk).

Graduated with the highest distinction from the National University of Music in Bucharest and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, Mihai studied with Professors Viniciu Moroianu and Joan Havill. He also had the privilege to take part in masterclasses led by Dimitri Bashkirov, Dominique Merlet, Emmanuel Ax, Richard Goode and is mentored by Valentin Gheorghiu.

Mihai is a City Music Foundation artist and a Yeoman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He has received generous support from the Liliana and Peter Ilica Foundation for the Endowment of the Arts, Erbiceanu Cultural Foundation and Ratiu Family Charitable Foundation.

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Christopher AXWORTHY MUSIC COMMENTARY

‘I have heard many recitals on this piano but rarely have I been aware of the glow and subtle sheen of sound that was hidden within…

The F minor transcendental study was shaped and given a Ballade type form and any trace of rhetoric or showmanship was subordinate to the passionate sense of urgency and forward movement that swept us along to the exciting finish.’


the artsdesk

Transcendence CD review by Graham Rickson

‘…you really need this CD for George Enescu’s Piano Sonata No. 1. The first movement’s constant shifts in mood and tempo discombobulate and enchant, the ensuing scherzo suggesting Debussy, Gershwin and Bartók by turns. And what an extraordinary finale, the plaintive opening melody overlaid with what sounds like distant church bells. Beautifully recorded, handsomely played – a solo recital to cherish and press into the hands of family and friends.’


Artalinna

Transcendence CD review by Jean-Charles Hoffelé

'Qui phrase ainsi les arpèges du Prélude, Choral et Fugue de Franck, dans une vraie sonorité d’orgue, où tous les timbres exhaussent comme une prière ? C’est un magicien certainement, tant ses polyphonies chantent.

Mihai Ritivoiu ... doit certainement son art de timbrer et de phraser à Valentin Gheorghiu, il aura hérité de ce pianiste pour les musiciens la grande technique classique, celle-là même que montrait Dinu Lipatti, y ajoutant cette capacité typiquement roumaine d’imaginer le clavier comme une palette de couleurs.'


Musical opinion


'When it came to Chopin's Polonaise - Fantasy, Op. 61, Ritivoiu totally conveyed the dreaminess of this work, coupled with the excitement of the melodic and harmonic dance sections that Chopin is so passionately remembered for. ... The exquisite Pavane from the 2nd Piano Suite, Op. 10 [by Enescu], allowed Ritivoiu to display his mastery of temporal pacing and the control of vague harmonies in this evocative work.'