Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.1, Paganini Variations

Gold Medal winner of the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Jon Nakamatsu returns to the work that clinched his victory, the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3, coupled with another favorite showpiece, the Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini - stirring, emotional performances on a grand scale.

"...clearly a mature and self-possessed artist...[This release] establishes Nakamatsu's presence as a pianist to be reckoned with...a major artist about to blossom."
- GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE


"Nakamatsu is clearly a major talent"
- CD NOW

"Besides being an astounding technician, Nakamatsu shows impeccable taste; he puts a high gloss on anything he plays."
- CHICAGO TRIBUNE

On June 8, 1997, pianist Jon Nakamatsu was named the Gold Medalist of the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He is the first American to have achieved this distinction since 1981. Among the prizes he was awarded were two years of international concert engagements and career management and a Carnegie Hall recital debut. The 28-year-old native Californian also received the Steven De Groote Memorial Award for his semifinal round performance with the Tokyo String Quartet.

Immediately following his victory at the Van Cliburn Competition, Mr. Nakamatsu was invited to replace Vladimir Ashkenazy in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro as soloist with the Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin. He was also presented at Tanglewood with the Boston Pops, and appeared in recital at the Klavier Festival Ruhr, and the Montpellier Festival in France.

Highlights of the 1997-98 season were recital debuts at Ravinia in Chicago, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Additional engagements included appearances with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic, the Fort Worth and Utah Symphonies, and chamber performances with the Tokyo String Quartet at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach and at the Tilles Center in Greenvale, Long Island.

During the 1998-99 season, Mr. Nakamatsu will continue touring with recitals at Jordan Hall in Boston, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and appearances in France, Italy, and Switzerland. His Carnegie Hall debut took place on October 26, 1998. Orchestral engagements will include, among others, the New World Symphony, the orchestras of Dallas, Detroit, Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, and an appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

Mr. Nakamatsu was recently named "Debut Artist of the Year" by NPR's Performance Today. He is featured in "Playing With Fire", a PBS documentary about the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition that began airing in October 1997. He has also been heard in a live recorded performance with the Brno Concert Orchestra and Masterworks Chorale at Prague's Dvorak Hall. His gold medal performance at the Van Cliburn Competition was captured by harmonia mundi usa on a recording released in summer 1997 (HMU 907218).

In addition to his studies with Marina Derryberry since the age of six, he has had numerous master classes with Karl Ulrich Schnabel as well as extensive study with other teachers in chamber music and musicology. From 1980-87, he studied composition and orchestration with Dr. Leonard Stein of the Schoenberg Institute at the University of Southern California. Mr. Nakamatsu is a graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in German studies and a master's degree in education.