Maria João Pires
From left to right: Maria João Pires in a performance of the second movement (Largo) of Bach’s Concerto No. 5, BWV 1056; performing Chopin Nocturne Op. 9, No. 1; Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathétique", (ii. Adagio cantabile); Schubert’s Impromptu No. 3, D.935, Op.142.
Throughout this month, in honor of Women’s History Month, I am continuing my celebration of female musicians.
Born in Portugal, Maria João Pires performed her first public recital at five years old, and by the age of seven was already playing piano concertos by Mozart in public. Recognized early for her accomplishments, she has received many awards over the course of her career, among them the Pessoa Prize, the Don Juan de Borbón da Música, the Grand Prix du Disque, and a Gramophone Award. In 2019 she received an honorary doctorate from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, and in 2023 was awarded the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance by the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.
Her formal musical education began at the Lisbon Conservatory, where she studied composition, music theory, and the history of music with her principal teacher, Campos Coelho.
Pires continued her studies in Germany, first at the Munich Musikakademie with Rosl Schmid and later in Hanover under Karl Engel. It was during these years that she acquired the discipline and musical style that continued to define her playing throughout her career.
She became celebrated internationally in 1970 when she won the Beethoven Bicentennial Competition in Brussels, which led to appearances with many of the leading orchestras of Europe, the Americas, Canada, Israel, and Japan, and performances of repertoire focused on the works of Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Mozart, Brahms, and Chopin.
A particular instance that has become almost synonymous with both her artistry and skill took place in Amsterdam with the Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly. At the beginning of a public lunchtime rehearsal, Pires realized that she had mistakenly prepared Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 rather than the Piano Concerto No. 20 that the orchestra had begun to play.
After a moment of surprise which was evident not just to her but the conductor and entire audience, she calmly gathered herself and proceeded to perform the correct concerto entirely from memory, without mistakes of any kind. The incident became part of the documentary entitled Attrazione d’amore, which later circulated widely online and did much to define her as an artist of poise, musicianship, and an exceptional command of the repertoire.
In June 2025 she announced an indefinite withdrawal from the concert stage due to a health issue, and later that year confirmed that she had retired from performing.
LINK FOR ATTRAZIONE d’AMORE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=300t2DS3VdQ
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