Sergei Babayan, in Malaga: the musician who makes the piano sing

They say about him that he not only plays the piano with astounding skill, but he also makes it sing, turning each note into a living voice... that moves you. Sergei Babayan, on the exclusive list of the world's best pianists, performs this Saturday in Málaga as part of his first tour in Spain. A recital at the Teatro Cervantes (7:00 PM, from 11 euros) with which he will inaugurate the II International Piano Competition City of Málaga, where 24 candidates from eleven countries will demonstrate their prowess on the keys. Babayan will also serve as the chairman of the jury.

Born in Armenia in 1961, Sergei Babayan is synonymous with virtuosity, emotional depth, and a performance that goes beyond the technical to delve into the spiritual. His reflective musicality has grown over decades of meticulous musical explorations, with a broad and deep repertoire that includes more than a hundred concerts and other works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Ligeti, Lutosławski, Prokofiev, Pärt, Rameau, and Ryabov.

Since 2018, Babayan has been an exclusive artist for Deutsche Grammophon, which speaks volumes about his reach. He has performed in the most important halls around the world from the Konzerthaus in Vienna to Carnegie Hall in New York, including Wigmore Hall in London, the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, the Colón in Buenos Aires, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He has shared the stage with numerous internationally prestigious orchestras, such as the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He has worked under the direction of conductors such as Antonio Pappano, David Robertson, Rafael Payare, Thomas Dausgaard, Tugan Sokhiev, and Valery Gergiev.

"Babayan is a genius, period. One of the great pianists of today. A living legend. It will be a real luxury to have him perform for the first time in Málaga and Andalusia," said Pablo Amorós, artistic director of the International Piano Competition City of Málaga. Amorós emphasized the fact that Babayan has never been on any jury in Europe: "It's a unique opportunity to be close to one of the great artists of our time."

The piano competition was initiated in 2024 by Pablo Amorós to make Málaga a global epicenter for this field, a meeting point for classical music enthusiasts and professionals to discover new talents of the instrument. It is mainly sponsored by the Málaga City Council and the Unicaja Foundation, with a grant from the Málaga Provincial Council. The first phase will take place on June 8 and 9, followed by a second phase on June 10 and 11, leading up to the semifinal on June 13. All these rounds will be held at the Sala Fundación Unicaja María Cristina. The final will move to the Teatro Cervantes to announce the next winner. The awarded pianist will have the opportunity to undertake an extensive concert tour throughout Spain, in addition to receiving a financial award of 20,000 euros.