Elias-Axel Pettersson, piano
Sunday, December 3 at 2pm
In celebration of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 150th birthday, returning pianist Elias-Axel Pettersson honours the composer in a program culminating in the three Etude-tableaux, op. 39. Elias-Axel has a reputation as a formidable soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue, and has garnered prizes on national and international level. Critics praise his breathtaking virtuosity, singing tone quality and refinement, and we are delighted to welcome him back to our stage.
Programme
Piano Sonata No. 14 in A Minor, Op. 143 (D. 784) – Franz Peter Schubert
1. Allegro giusto
2. Andante
3. Allegro vivace
Impromptu No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 90/D. 899 – Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828)
Sonata No. 10 in A Minor, Op. 38, No. 1 “Reminiscenza” (From Forgotten Melodies, Cycle I) – Nikolai Karlovich Medtner
Allegretto tranquillo
Svegliando
Tempo I
Poco maestoso
Etude-Tableau in C Major/Minor, Op. 33, No. 3 – Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff
Etude-Tableau in Eb Major/Minor, Op. 39, No. 5 – Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff
Etude-Tableau in C Minor, Op. 39, No. 1 – Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff
Biography
Hailed for his “breathtaking virtuosity” (Albuquerque Journal) and his “rhythmic integrity, singing tone quality, and refinement” (Clavier), Swedish-American pianist Elias-Axel Pettersson is a Mason & Hamlin Concert Artist and has established himself as a formidable soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. He has garnered prizes on the national and international level. He has collaborated with numerous musicians, including violinists Krzysztof Zimowski, David Felberg, and Guillaume Tardif, violist Henk Guittart, Cantor Josh Perlman, and tenor Michiel Schrey. In 2008, Pettersson formed Duo Giocoso with French violinist Roland Arnassalon; in 2017, he formed Æterna Sirius with pianist Jessica Yam. Pettersson champions contemporary composers, premiering many works, including Michael Mauldin’s Petroglyph for Piano (2011), and recording Gabriel Madden’s La Herse (2009), featuring a rare Sauter 1/16-microtonal piano. Pettersson released three albums on Axel Records, featuring works ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Janáček and Vine. He has cultivated a loyal online following via YouTube and his websites and co-hosts the podcast And If Love Remains.
Pettersson is a frequent performer, lecturer, and masterclass teacher throughout the USA, Canada, and Sweden. Known as a conscientious, patient, and motivational guide with a methodical, yet holistic and creative approach, he aims to coordinate mind, body, and spirit by combining an extensive music theory and history background with Alexander Technique training. His students have won numerous prizes and have been admitted to undergraduate and graduate programs throughout the USA and Canada. He has also been a jury member for national and regional competitions. In 2015, Pettersson founded Southwest Piano Festival, a summer performance series dedicated to promoting the art of piano in New Mexico and local talent. He is also Competition Director of Arizona Piano Institute, a Phoenix-based nonprofit organization that gives preparatory and collegiate piano students a chance to study with internationally renowned artists and faculty. In 2019, Pettersson joined the faculties of Adamant Music School in Vermont and Arizona School for the Arts. He is also department co-chair at Rosie’s House, whose EDI mission supports students from all walks of musical life and socioeconomic backgrounds. Pettersson studied with Paul Stewart, Sergei Babayan, Larissa Dedova, Douglas Humpherys, and the late Maribeth Gunning; he also played for André Watts, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Arnaldo Cohen, Pavel Nersessian, Dina Joffe, and the Guarneri String Quartet. Pettersson holds a doctorate from l’Université de Montréal, where he taught for 8 years.
