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BIO & PRESS

 

 

BIOGRAPHY

Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro is considered one of the most outstanding Portuguese artists of recent decades, and one of the most internationally renowned as a solo pianist, chamber musician and artistic director.

Born in Porto, where he began his studies, Filipe graduated and received his doctorate in 2000 from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, where he studied for five years under the guidance of the prestigious pianist and Professor Lyudmila Roschina. Since then, he has embarked on a career that has led him to perform at the best concert seasons and festivals in Europe, America, Asia and Oceania.

Called "a poet of the piano", Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro has mastered a vast repertoire and is a musical chameleon who feels as at home in the music of romanticism as he does in baroque and contemporary music, having premiered works by composers such as Bruce Adolphe, Eurico Carrapatoso, Luís Tinoco and Marcelo Nisinman. His piano recitals have particularly daring programs, and he is the only Portuguese pianist to perform the biggest piano cycle of the 20th century: the complete 24 Preludes and Fugues Opus 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich. His solo discography, consisting of 5 CDs, is an example of his versatility and includes works from Bach to Ravel, Beethoven to Mussorgsky, Debussy to Prokofiev, including Portuguese composers.

Passionate about chamber music, he has performed with many renowned musicians, such as José van Dam, Gary Hoffman, Gérard Caussé, Eldar Nebolsin, Benjamin Schmid, Janne Saksala, Renaud Capuçon, Adrian Brendel, Pascal Moraguès, Mihaela Martin, Christian Poltéra, Liza Ferschtman, Lars Anders Tomter, Pieter Wispelwey, Anna Samuil, Viviane Hagner, Frans Helmerson, Sergei Nakariakov, Michel Portal, and Radek Baborák, among others. In 1998, he formed a piano duo with Peruvian pianist Rosa Maria Barrantes, his wife, with whom he recorded a CD of works by French composers for piano four hands.

As concerto soloist, he has played with the main Portuguese orchestras, and those of various countries - Austria, Belgium, Spain, Cuba, Slovakia, Russia, Armenia, Hungary, etc - having collaborated with conductors such as John Nelson, Emilio Pomàrico, Charles Olivieri-Munroe, Christoph Poppen, Dmitri Liss and Mikhail Agrest, among many others.

An important moment in his career was the creation, in 2006, of the DSCH Shostakovich Ensemble, of which he is artistic director. Over the last almost 20 years, Filipe has joined many of the most significant musicians of our time for concerts of the Ensemble on various continents. The DSCH Ensemble's discography includes the first world recording of Shostakovich's Complete Chamber Music for Piano and Strings, and Beethoven's Trios Opus 11 and 38 (both for Paraty/Harmonia Mundi), albums that have received outstanding reviews.

It was also from the DSCH Ensemble that he created Verão Clássico in Lisbon, in 2015, which is now regarded as one of the most important festivals and academies in the world.

His creativity as artistic director and curator has led him to lead various projects over the last two decades, and he is currently artistic director of the Capuchos Music Festival, the Bragança ClassicFest Festival and curator of the Musical-Mente Concert Cycle in Porto.

A supporter and promoter of new generations of musicians, Filipe was a Professor of Piano for a decade at Portuguese universities, often gives masterclasses and, in 2022, created the Juventus Ensemble, an intergenerational platform that promotes concerts and artistic residencies, bringing together renowned musicians with the best emerging young talents on the music scene.

Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro is the only Portuguese pianist nominated "Steinway Artist", an official distinction he received in 2014 from the German-American prestigious piano company Steinway & Sons.

 

PRESS

BACHTRACK, Laurence Vittes
August 7th, 2019 *****
"Pinto-Ribeiro was the perfect Schumann pianist throughout, the music bubbling from his piano clear and refreshing as a mountain spring, his notes voiced delicately like sensitive jewels. Pinto-Ribeiro showed himself to be a genuine Mozart pianist, continually alive to the music's unalloyed pleasures and improvising ornaments."
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BACHTRACK, Laurence Vittes
August 3rd, 2019 *****
"Pinto-Ribeiro’s lovely touch and superb sense of balance allowing his virtuoso piano part to work perfectly in league with the relatively simple but no less powerful or expressive strings."
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GRAMOPHONE, Richard Whitehouse
March, 2019
“Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro pianism is as deft as it is perceptive.”
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DIAPASON, Patrick Szersnovicz
February, 2019
5 Diapasons
“[...] Brendel and Pinto-Ribeiro favour the neo-romantic side of the Sonata for Cello and Piano, and the apparent independence of their voices is underpinned by a consistently homogeneous ensemble. Cerovsek and Pinto-Ribeiro seek to humanize the purpose of the Sonata for Violin and Piano. Its intense and subtle concentration eschews the impulsive contrasts often heard in other versions."
 
SCHERZO – REVISTA DE MÚSICA, Félix de Azúa

January, 2019
"[...] The ensemble, is technically perfect, but even more apparent is their intimate understanding of the music. It is largely due to the great Pinto-Ribeiro.”
 
THE GUARDIAN, Fiona Maddocks

December 2nd, 2018
"[...] The Portuguese pianist Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, is the binding force between the two piano trios, piano quintet and various sonatas."
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LA OPUS, David J Brown
October 17th, 2018
"Pinto-Ribeiro proved himself totally master of Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody N. 12, moving from playfulness to aristocratic wryness to rhetorical thunder as the music demanded."
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EXPRESSO, Ana Rocha
November 18th, 2017 ****
Beethoven Concerto N. 3 with Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra
“What made Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro's performance irresistibly impetuous was the clarity in his attack and the intention that the pianist provided each note with. It was from the incredible cadenza of freedom of the first movement that the orchestra received, as in a “medusa” state, a lesson of authenticity. With the sound brilliance and joy that emanates from his performance, the Porto’s pianist is an enthusiast that peers with natural nobility and eloquence the spirituality and grandeur of the piece […]”

LA OPUS, David J Brown
October 10th, 2017
"Pinto-Ribeiro conveyed a remarkable emotional range. […] Pinto-Ribeiro’s expansive, improvisatory approach, with much flexible use of rubato, continued throughout the performance, though without any self-indulgent “listen to me” pyrotechnics. He carefully characterized the four large variations that make up the middle, slow, movement, and then launched, attacca as marked, into the finale at a pretty fast lick, despite Beethoven’s ma non troppo qualification. Nonetheless, he had plenty in reserve to kick up the substantial notch needed for the final Presto at full tilt, hurtling to a tumultuous conclusion. […] The spectacular conclusion to what is normally called “The Great Gate of Kiev” when the Ravel transcription is performed did not, for once, have me wishing I was hearing his orchestra rather than Mussorgsky’s single pianist. […]"
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EXPRESSO, Ana Rocha
November 18th, 2017 ****
Beethoven Concerto N. 3 with Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra
“What made Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro's performance irresistibly impetuous was the clarity in his attack and the intention that the pianist provided each note with. It was from the incredible cadenza of freedom of the first movement that the orchestra received, as in a “medusa” state, a lesson of authenticity. With the sound brilliance and joy that emanates from his performance, the Porto’s pianist is an enthusiast that peers with natural nobility and eloquence the spirituality and grandeur of the piece […]”

LE DAUPHINÉ LIBÉRÉ, Joseph Ticon
August 17th, 2016
“Brilliant closing concert of the festival at the Château de Ripaille with the excellent pianist Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro. [...]”

CLASSIQUE NEWS, Sabino Pena Arcia
November 11th, 2015
RECITAL DE PIANO, PARIS, SALLE GAVEAU
“Un  pianiste au toucher sensible et à la technique remarquable dans le cadre intimiste et chaleureux de la Salle Gaveau s’impose aux auditeurs parisiens venus l’écouter. C’est une soirée riche en couleurs et en saveurs dont la qualité mémorable se retrouve dans le disque qu’il vient de faire paraître chez Paraty. Un grand artiste à suivre désormais.”
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EXPRESSO, Ana Rocha
December 5th, 2015 *****
“Com contrastes intensos e muito bem definidos entre as texturas do piano e as dos quatro instrumentos de cordas, Gérard Caussé, Jack Liebeck, Kyril Zlotnikov e Tiago Pinto-Ribeiro dialogaram com efervescência, verve rítmica e energia com o piano de Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro. O Schostakovich Ensemble galvanizou a assistência, transformando o recital numa folia. [...]”

KLASSIK HEUTE, Stefan Pieper
November 5th, 2015
CD PIANO SEASONS 10/10
“Filipe Pinto Ribeiro gestaltet alle diese, dem Geist einer in sich ruhenden musikalischen Romantik verhafteten Fantasiebilder mit aller denkbaren Innigkeit aus. Er lässt die Melodien atmen, legt auf einen romantischen Spielfluss aber auch eine tiefe innere Ruhe viel Wert. Plastisch stellt sein Spiel auch die formstrengeren, kontrapunktischen Aspekte dieser Stücke heraus. [...] Dieser Interpret versteht Piazolla auf einer tiefen, auch sehr physischern Ebene – und das ist längst nicht bei allen aus der Klassik kommenden Interpreten selbstverständlich!”
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BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE, Julian Haylock
November 2015
CD PIANO SEASONS ****
“Nisinman’s arrangements of Piazzolla tangos are atmospheric, and the Tchaikovsky is gracefully played.”

JORNAL DE LETRAS, Maria Augusta Gonçalves
January 6, 2016
As estações de Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro
“[...] O virtuosismo de Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, a sua sensibilidade e técnica notável traduzem a multiplicidade de cenários e sentimentos. No balanço, ficam três obras extraordinárias, dos seus compositores e do seu tempo. E essa é a dádiva maior de um grande intérprete.”

BR-KLASSIK, Kristin Amme
November 4th, 2015
CD PIANO SEASONS – Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro spielt
“Eine wunderbare CD [...].”
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NOTÍCIAS MAGAZINE, Susana Torrão
September 21st, 2015
O PIANISTA INTERNACIONAL
“o pianista português mais conhecido internacionalmente depois de Maria João Pires. [...]”
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CLASSIQUE NEWS, Ernst Van Bek
August 28th, 2015
VERÃO CLÁSSICO : PREMIER ÉTÉ MUSICAL À LISBONNE
“Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro réinvente la magie des masterclasses et des concerts de musique de chambre. (…) bouillonnant pianiste, pédagogue chevronné autant qu’interprète subtil [...]”
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SUR, Sara Rodríguez Mata
February 1st, 2014
“Las Estaciones, de Tchaikovsky, y Cuadros de una Exposición, de Mussorgsky fueron las dos obras que conformaron el recital que con tanto virtuosismo y talento protagonizó Pinto-Ribeiro para el numeroso público que abarrotaba la sala. [...]”

TIMES OF MALTA, Albert G. Storace
March 14th, 2012
“The masterly interpretation was to establish the duo Gérard Caussé and Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro's prowess as to technique, balance and musicality. The piano's extremely difficult part was very well-handled. [...]”
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PÚBLICO, Augusto M. Seabra
April 13th, 2012
“O Centro Cultural de Belém apresentou um ciclo dedicado à compositora Sofia Gubaidulina (com direcção artística de Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro). Foi um momento de apoteose. As suas obras foram ouvidas ao lado de outras de compositores que mais a marcaram, Bach e Webern. Este ciclo ficará como exemplo de um autêntico e frutífero gesto de programação. [...]”

EXPRESSO, Ana Rocha
April 25th, 2010
“Uma extraordinária 'Schubertíade' foi apresentada pelos instrumentistas do Shostakovich Ensemble muito aclamados por uma plateia totalmente esgotada. [...]”

PÚBLICO, Cristina Fernandes
June 8th, 2009
“Uma celebração da música de câmara. Sob a designação “Haydn e Mendelssohn, Entre Dois Mundos”, as obras foram inteligentemente agrupadas. (…) O Sexteto de Mendelssohn é uma obra de fulgor juvenil, à qual o pianismo de Pinto-Ribeiro (com uma articulação clara e uma energia rítmica propulsora) imprimiu um carácter lúdico que muito entusiasmou a audiência. [...]”
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MOSKOVSKII KOMSOMOLETS, Ian Smirnitsky
October 10th, 2008
“Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, one of the leading musicians of Portugal, delighted the audience at the Rachmaninov Hall with his mastery, in the concert with the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra under conductor Misha Rachlevsky. [...]”

JORNAL DE LETRAS, Maria Augusta Gonçalves
June 6th, 2007
“Neste disco, Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro supera épocas e, da música, deixa a intemporalidade e a universalidade que a caracterizam. Não se pode querer mais. [...]”

PÚBLICO, Cristina Fernandes
October 2nd, 2006
“Trata-se de um desafio supremo à técnica pianística e às capacidades expressivas e intelectuais do intérprete. Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, o primeiro pianista português a interpretar a integral dos 24 Prelúdios e Fugas Opus 87 de Dmitri Schostakovich em concerto, mostrou-se à altura do desafio. [...]”

AZG ARMENIAN DAILY, Svetlana Sarkissian
December 21st, 2005
“At the Aram Khatchaturian Concert Hall, the audience could fully appreciate the exquisite sound, “pearl-like”, of the pianist Pinto-Ribeiro, with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra under American world famous conductor John Nelson. [...]”

DIÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS, Bernardo Mariano
June 26th, 2004
“Em suma, um disco pensado, bem preparado e melhor executado. [...]”

PÚBLICO, Teresa Cascudo
July 6th, 2002
“O que realmente se destacou foi o extraordinário talento de Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro para transmitir, sem filtros, uma emoção que é raro encontrar nos dias que correm. Um recital construído de forma inteligente e interpretado de forma emocionante. [...]”