LA FOLLE JOURNEE DE VARSOVIE

Iddo Bar-Shaï / piano

“The art with which Iddo Bar-Shaï paints Chopin’s Maurkas is the effect of his exceptionally sensitive, subtle playing. He fascinates the audience with his pianistic talent and knows how to transfer the feelings of these pieces by means of a a sweetly subdued piano sound.” Piano Bleu

Born in 1977, the Israeli pianist Iddo Bar-Shaï studied under Bracha Ornan-Maraglit and then with Pnina Salzman at the piano department of the Rubin Music Academy in Tel-Aviv. Also guided at that time by Alexis Weissenberg, he made his debut at the age of 12 as soloist with orchestra. Thanks to support from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, he won a number of 1^st prizes at renowned competitions, including the famous Chopin Competition in Tel Aviv and the Peter Jay Sharp-Prix Vendôme competition.

Having conquered concert stages around the world, he now plays with the best orchestras in Israel and Europe in the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, in London’s Wigmore Hall, at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, in the Opera City Hall in Tokio, as well as in the United States, Brazil, Japan and China.

Bar-Shaï has been invited to play in prestigious festivals, including the Ravinia Festival in the United States, La Grange in Meslay and La Roque d’Anthéron, where he performs each year. With five other pianists, Bar-Shaï played the complete works of Chopin at the “Folles Journées” festival held in several cities around the world, including Warsaw.

Iddo Bar-Shaï also performs in chamber music ensembles. He has played with the Ysaÿe, Aviv, Ébène and Modigliani String Quartets and also with the American String Quartet. Numerous radio and television stations, including Mezzo and Arte record and broadcast his performances. Bar-Shaï may also be heard on a DVD titled “Les Pianos de Demain” – a co-production of Naïve/Idéale Audience, published in cooperation with Arte and France 3.

Iddo Bar-Shaï recorded two albums for the Mirare label. The first is devoted to sonatas by Haydn (2006), unanimously applauded by the music press. The second contains Mazurkas by Chopin and has also received numerous positive reviews.