The Bösendorfer Series | Marietta Petkova describes her Life in Music

Image from Sjaak Verboom

The last concert in the Bösendorfer Series this season is the start of a diptych in which Marietta Petkova tells her life story in the form of a recital. With music by composers who played an essential role in different phases of its development, such as Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Debussy. The Bösendorfer Series is a series of intimate piano recitals in De Waalse Kerk, in which nine top pianists shine behind the beautiful Bösendorfer Imperial Grand grand piano. Petkova plays works by Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninov and Debussy.

The Bösendorfer Series | Marietta Petkova describes her Life in Music

Dates

Thu 9 May20:15 - 22:00

Location

De Waalse Kerk

Walenpleintje 159

1012 JZ Amsterdam

Contact

Musical events that enrich a life

Marietta Petkova is a celebrated pianist whose exceptional quality was quickly recognized in the Netherlands and far beyond. She is a pianist who knows how to reach the soul of music. She leaves the score behind and immerses herself in the psychology of the composer. She seeks the connection between the person who composed the music and exposes an underlying sound world. That requires a finely tuned sensitivity and emotional maturity that few pianists possess.

In 2000, she conquered the Amsterdam public with a memorable Rachmaninov recital in the Concertgebouw. “Grandiose Petkova” and “Pianist Petkova: ideal Rachmaninov” read the headlines in the newspapers De Telegraaf and NRC Handelsblad. Her live recordings from Lausanne of Rachmaninov's 24 preludes were acclaimed by the international press.

About Marietta Petkova

Marietta Petkova was born in 1968 in Ruse, a city on the Danube River in Bulgaria. She studied in Sofia (with Lili Atanassova), Vienna (with Paul Badura-Skoda), Ban (as a Resident Artist) and Amsterdam (with Jan Wijn), where she graduated in 1994 with the highest possible distinction. She also studied for ten years with the well-known pianist György Sebök, who played a crucial role in her musical development. Marietta Petkova is currently enjoying a flourishing career as a soloist and chamber musician. Marietta is a Steinway artist and has her own CD series on the Bloomline label.

In consultation with Lex Bohlmeijer (presenter NPO Klassiek) she tells what moved her and what is the core of her life-fulfilling passion. “She is originally Bulgarian, has been living in the Netherlands for more than 25 years, and adds something special to the Dutch musical landscape. Something inimitable too. With every meeting I also heard a bit of her extraordinary life story. And every time I was amazed. What, is that in your backpack too? Finally I thought, now I want to hear the whole story, I want to understand the context, outline the development, how she was able to grow into the exceptional pianist that she is,” says Lex Bohlmeijer.