Raj Bhimani
Pianist Raj Bhimani's concerts are “virtuosic, heartfelt and eloquent.....”
Michael Kimmelman
The New York Times
Photo credit by: Jiyang Chen
Upcoming Concerts
New York Society for Ethical Culture
March 16th, 2024 at 6:00 PM
New York Society for Ethical Culture
Solo Recital of works by Tailleferre, Ravel, and Chopin
The American Church in Paris
April 7th, 2024 at 5:30 PM
The American Church in Paris
Solo Recital of works by Tailleferre, Ravel, and Chopin
Recording Projects for 2024
Two new recordings of music by Franz Schubert and Germaine Tailleferre
Franz Schubert: Late Sonatas
Twenty years back I made my first recording and included two works by Franz Schubert, including the monumental Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960.
The sonata is part of the trilogy Schubert completed a mere three weeks before his death at age 31.
The other two sonatas from this final set will be on my upcoming recording. The Sonata in C Minor, D. 958, and the Sonata in A Major, D. 959, have been part of my repertoire for many years and I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to record them both.
The playing is complete and editing is underway right now.
We hope to release this disk in the next few months.
Germaine Tailleferre Project
The only female composer I learned about in music school was Germaine Tailleferre. She was included in the curriculum because of her membership in the group of French composers known as Les Six. Her male colleagues were much better known, so we listened to their music, and were left to believe Tailleferre was of lesser importance, or had produced a smaller quantity of music. It turns out much of her music was simply unavailable. Publishers of that time were not interested in releasing her music.
A recent agreement between the Tailleferre Estate and the publishing house Musik Fabrik in Paris will bring much of this previously unknown music to the public. I’m very honored to be the first pianist entrusted with these works. Noted musicologist and Les Six scholar Robert Shapiro is also contributing to this project. I’ve recorded the first volume of this significant music and look forward to its release later this year. I’ve already started working on the music for Volume 2. The music is engaging and colorful. Tailleferre embraced and encapsulated the time in history she inhabited. Listeners will be transported by her music.
MUSIC
Raj Bhimani
Johannes Brahms:
Late Piano Pieces
Raj Bhimani, piano
Thérèse Brenet
<Le Visionnaire>
OEUVRES récentes
Raj Bhimani, piano
& members of the Paris Virtuosi
Raj Bhimani
To the West Wind
A Recital of French Piano Music
Thérèse Brenet - Maurice Ravel -
Claude Debussy
Franz Schubert
Sonata in B-FLat Major
Six Moments Musicaux
Raj Bhimani, piano
ABOUT
Pianist Raj Bhimani’s concerts are “virtuosic, heartfelt and eloquent,” writes New York Times critic Michael Kimmelman. Time Out NY noted him as being a “gifted and highly expressive pianist.” Performing regularly across North America and Europe, he also makes frequent appearances in India, where the nationally distributed newspaper The Hindu wrote, “Raj Bhimani is a very sensitive piano player, with a predilection for lyrical melody accompanied with rhythmic gracefulness.” In New York, where he resides, he has appeared often at Lincoln Center as well as at other venues.
Mr. Bhimani is a champion of new music and has developed a particular expertise in French piano literature. During his time studying in Paris he had the opportunity to meet composer Henri Dutilleux, who declared him “a great artist who plays with sensitivity and intelligence.” In 2016, to mark what would have been the composer’s 100th birthday, Mr. Bhimani gave several performances of his works, including the Preludes, which Mr. Bhimani learned from handwritten manuscripts given to him by the composer before these works were published.
Another prominent French composer, Thérèse Brenet, has written several works especially for Mr. Bhimani. Two of Ms. Brenet’s compositions for Mr. Bhimani can be heard on a CD entitled “To the West Wind,” on the Delatour label. A disc containing Schubert’s B-flat Sonata and Moments Musicaux was issued by Delatour in the same year. Two more works Ms. Brenet wrote for Mr. Bhimani were issued in 2014 on a disc entitled “Le Visionnaire,” released by Musik Fabrik, which has also released recordings of late solo works by Brahms as well as another disk dedicated to solo works by Ravel. All these recordings are available worldwide on numerous platforms. A recording dedicated to late sonatas of Schubert is in preparation, and Mr. Bhimani is honored to be the first pianist invited to record previously-unpublished works by composer Germaine Tailleferre. This will be a multi-disk project.
In addition to solo recitals, Mr. Bhimani also performs with Syrinx : XXII, a group formed with musicians from Portugal. The trio performs regularly in the US, Portugal, and India, and has premiered works written especially for them by composers in Portugal and Germany.
Frequently sought after as a teacher and pedagogue, Mr. Bhimani is known for guiding students from their first encounters with a piano up to concert level performances. His students have earned numerous prizes and have been heard in performance at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and other esteemed venues in New York and across the United States. He writes articles on teaching and performance for Serenade Magazine, is a frequent judge and lecturer on piano pedagogy, and has served on the board of The Leschetizky Association, an organization committed to upholding the great pedagogue’s ideals of beautiful tone production and musical integrity. Mr. Bhimani is grateful to his own teachers: John Steele Ritter, Peter Hewitt, Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer, Claude Frank, and Seymour Bernstein.
PRESS
• Serenade Magazine - October 31, 2018
• Serenade Magazine - February 12, 2016
• Serenade Magazine - February 1, 2016
• Serenade Magazine - March 9, 2016
• Pune Mirror - November 21, 2015
• The Hindu - December 7, 2012
CONTACT
E-mail: management@rajbhimani.com
PODCASTS
REVIEWS
“Raj Bhimani is a gifted pianist whose programs are very well thought out and executed. Raj's professionalism and attention to detail make it a pleasure to work with him. He is an expert in French piano literature who delights his audiences playing with tremendous passion and emotion. Mr. Bhimani is truly an asset to any concert series.”
Cheryl Raymond, Program Specialist, Library for the Performing Arts
Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, New York 10023
“Raj Bhimani has that rare ability of allowing music to play through him. His deeply poetic performances ‘stir the innermost regions of the soul.’ ”
Seymour Bernstein
“un grand musicien qui joue avec beaucoup de sensibilité et d’intelligence.”
“a great musician who plays with much sensitivity and intelligence.”
Henri Dutilleux
I have downloaded two of your Cd's and play them often. You are a marvel.
xxx Terrence
Terrence McNally
"J'ai été d'abord très impressionnée par le jeu à la fois lumineux et contrasté de Raj Bhimani, par son toucher délicat et son tempérament sensible. J'ai donc, à quatre reprises écrit pour lui et je ne l'ai pas regretté, bien au contraire, J'ai été aussi très frappée par son aptitude rare à ressentir presque spontanément et à interpréter la musique du XXIe siècle et je suis heureuse de penser que les œuvres que j'ai écrites pour lui et que je lui ai confiées, sont si largement mises en valeur à travers le monde."
“I was immediately impressed by the playing of Raj Bhimani, both luminous and full of contrast, and by his delicate touch and sensitive spirit. Four times I composed for him, and I did not come to regret it; on the contrary, I was struck by his unusual ability to spontaneously grasp and interpret 21st-century music. I'm happy to know that the works I've written for and entrusted to him are being presented in their best light around the world.”
Thérèse Brenet
VIDEOS
Live from the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center - Schubert: Sonata in A Major, D. 959
Raj Bhimani plays Dutilleux: Blackbird
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in C Minor, Opus 13, “Pathétique,” 1st movement
Raj Bhimani plays Maurice Ravel: Noctuelles, from Miroirs
Gabriel Fauré: Barcarolle #6 in E-flat Major, Op. 70
Emmanuel Chabrier: Idylle, from Pièces Pittoresques
Watch more and subscribe to my YouTube channel
PERFORMANCES
PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES
• The Poona Music Society Concert, Poona, India - November 2, 2022
• Solo Recital at The American Church in Paris, France - April 24, 2022
• Solo Recital, Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York - February 22, 2020
• SYRINX: XXII In Portugal, Lisbon: Fundação Oriente - November 30, 2019
• Broadcast Live: WXXI Classical 91.5/90.3 FM, New York - November 4 and 5, 2019
• SYRINX: XXII In New York, Rochester, NY - October 30, 2019
• SYRINX: XXII In New York, Church of Saint Edward the Martyr, New York - October 27, 2019
• Solo Recital at The American Church in Paris, France - April 28, 2019
• Church of Saint Edward the Martyr, New York, NY - March 16th, 2019
• Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York, NY - February 16, 2019
• Merkin Concert Hall, New York, NY - February 24, 2019
• The National Centre for the Performing Arts Godrej Dance Theatre, Mumbai - November 27, 2017
• Matinée concert at The Piano Man, Delhi - November 25, 2017
• International Music and Arts Society, Alliance Française Auditorium, Bangalore - November 16, 2017
• Poona Music Society, Mazda Hall, Poonai - November 14, 2017
• Solo Recital at The American Church in Paris - Sunday, April 23, 2017
• Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium - February 25, 2017
• Fundraiser for the Blandford Historical Society, Massachusetts - July 17, 2016
• Performance at the World Wind Festival in Visakhapatnam - December 3, 2016
• Masterclass at the Academy of Music, Poona - November 28, 2016
• Concert for the Poona Music Society in Mazda Hall - November 27, 2016
• Masterclass for students in Bangalore - November 26, 2016
• Concert in Bangalore for the International Music and Arts Society at the Alliance Française - November 25, 2016
• Concert at the Alliance Française in Chandigarh - November 22, 2016
• Concert for the Delhi Music Society at the Delhi School of Music - November 19, 2016
• Concert at Ashoka University - November 17, 2016
• Concert Piano Man Jazz Club in Delhi - November 15, 2016
• Masterclass at the Bridge Academy of Music in Delhi - November 13, 2016
• Annual lecture recital, at the Barnard College, New York - July 14, 2016
• Teaching at Pianophoria Hunter College, New York - July 6 - 12, 2016
• Solo Recital at The American Church in Paris - April 17, 2016
• Solo Recital at West Center Church, Bronxville, New York - April 3, 2016
• Solo Recital at Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium - February 20, 2016
• Alumni Concert at Pomona College for 100th anniversary of the auditorium - February 12 2016
• Judging and Performing at MusiQuest,Poona Academy of Music, India-November 18 - 22, 2015
• Chamber Music Recital with SYRINX : XXII at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon, Portugal - April 24, 2015
• Solo Recital at The American Church in Paris - April 12, 2015
• Chamber Music Recital with SYRINX : XXII at Saint Peter's Church, New York - March 24, 2015
• Solo Recital at Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium - February 21, 2015
• Solo Recital at West Center Church, Bronxville, New York - February 15th, 2015
• Solo Recital at The American Church in Paris - April 27, 2014
• Chamber Music Recital with SYRINX : XXII at Saint Peter’s Church, New York - April 8, 2014
• Chamber Music Recital with SYRINX : XXII at West Center Church, Bronxville, New York - April 6, 2014
• Solo Recital at Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium - February 1, 2014
• Solo Recital at Anderson House, Washington, DC - May 11, 2013
• Solo Recital at Saint Peter’s Church, New York - April 16, 2013
• Solo Recital at The American Church in Paris - April 7, 2013
• Solo Recital at West Center Church, Bronxville, New York - March 10, 2013
• Solo Recital in Pune, India for the Poona Music Society - December 16, 2012
• Masterclasses at the Poona Music Academy, Pune, India - December 13 - 15, 2012
• Masterclass in Bangalore, India - December 2, 2012
• Solo Recital in Bangalore, India - December 1, 2012
• Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium - November 17, 2012
• Solo Recital at BRIK Gallery, Catskill, New York - November 3, 2012
• Solo Recital at Saint Peter’s Church, New York - March 20, 2012
• Solo Recital in Delhi, India - December 14, 2011
• Solo Recital in Pune, India for the Poona Music Society - December 11, 2011
• Tour of Argentina and Uruguay with the Long Island Symphonic Choral Association - Summer, 2011
• American Church in Paris - May 1, 2011
• Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium — Solo Recital - March 6, 2011
• American Church in Paris — Solo Recital, works by Beethoven, Brenet, Ravel, and Chopin - April 11, 2010
• Saint Peter’s Church, New York — Solo Recital, works by Beethoven, Brenet, Ravel, and Chopin - March 2, 2010
• Tenri Cultural Institute, New York — Voice and Piano Recital with Katherine Ciesinski, presented by The Leschetizky Association - January 10, 2010
• Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium - March, 2009
SYRINX : XXII
THE TRIO
XXII made its debut in Manhattan in the spring of 2014, immediately receiving invitations to return, as well as to perform in Lisbon at the annual Dias da Música Festival at the CCB.
The sold-out CCB concert led to a repeat invitation, as well as to plans for the first 5-city India tour in 2016, and to a second India tour in 2018, capped off with a concert at the prestigious National Centre for the Performing Arts in Bombay.
This immediately led to an invitation to return there in the 2020 season.
Syrinx : XXII has also performed at the Tenri Cultural Institute in New York, the Ethical Society in Philadelphia, in New Jersey, and in Castelo Branco, Portugal. Later in 2019 the trio will perform at the Fundaçao Oriente in Lisbon, which kindly contributed toward travel expenses of the second India Tour.
Syrinx : XXII is proud to perform the music of five centuries, from the late Renaissance through the Baroque — on period or modern instruments — up through music of our days, and a growing number of works dedicated to the ensemble
Visit our new website:
Ian Clarke: Maya
Carlos Marecos: 7 Instantes - composed for Syrinx : XXII in 2016
Schubert: Ständchen (Serenade)
Follow my Instagram @rajbhimani959