Croatian pianist Ivo Pogorelic will present Chopin’s “Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38,” “Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 39,” Schumann’s “Carnival Scenes From Vienna, Op. 26,” Mozart’s “Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475” and Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 36.”

    Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Pogorelic attended the Vojislav Vuckovic Music School in Belgrade until he was 12, when he was invited to Moscow to continue his studies at the Central Music School with Evgeny Timakin. Later he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory. In 1976 he began studying intensively with the Georgian pianist and teacher Aliza Kezeradze, who passed on to him the tradition of the Liszt-Siloti School. They were married from 1980 until her death in 1996 from liver cancer.

    Pogorelic won the Casagrande Competition in Terni, Italy, in 1978 and the Montreal International Musical Competition in 1980. In 1980 he entered the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and was eliminated in the third round. One of the adjudicators, Martha Argerich, proclaimed him a “genius” and resigned from the jury in protest.

    Pogorelic gave his debut recital in New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1981. He debuted in London the same year. Since then, he has played many solo recitals worldwide and has played with some of the world’s leading orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and many others. Pogorelic soon began recording for Deutsche Grammophon and in 1982 he became one of their exclusive artists.

    Pogorelic’s performances have often been controversial. His interpretations were well received by a large number of concert audiences, but not by some critics. His early recording of Prokofiev’s “Sixth Sonata” received high praise, including a Rosette award in the Penguin Guide to Classical Recordings.

    In 1988 he was named an Ambassador of Goodwill by UNESCO, the first classical pianist ever so appointed. From 1989 to 1997, the Ivo Pogorelic Festival in Bad Worishofen gave young artists the opportunity to perform with renowned artists. In 1993, Pogorelic founded the International Solo Piano Competition in conjunction with the Ambassador Foundation in Pasadena, California.

    Time: 8 p.m., Dec. 6

    Tickets: 180-880 yuan

    Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

    Metro: Line 3 or 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(SD News)