Pianist Misha Dichter will bring his 80th birthday tour to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach on December 16, performing Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Palm Beach Symphony under music director Gerard Schwarz. The concert, part of the Palm Beach Symphony Masterworks Series, opens with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's The Snow Maiden Suite and continues with Gabriela Lena Frank's Elegía Andina and Manuel de Falla's The Three Cornered Hat.
Dichter, who won the silver medal at the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition at age 20, has enjoyed a storied career performing with major orchestras worldwide. His discography includes works by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, and many others. After a hiatus in 2007 to treat Dupuytren's Disease, he returned to the stage and became a spokesperson for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Dichter also conducts masterclasses at institutions like Juilliard and Yale.
Schwarz praised the Rachmaninoff piece, calling each of the 24 variations "a little jewel." He noted that Dichter's performance is a highlight of the season. The program also features Rimsky-Korsakov's suite from his opera The Snow Maiden, which Schwarz described as "exquisite, beautiful music." Frank's Elegía Andina, her first orchestral work, and de Falla's ballet suite complete the evening.
Before the concert, principal cellist Claudio Jaffé will host a Symphony Sessions Lunch & Learn on December 11, offering insights into the repertoire. The Masterworks Series continues with performances by cellist Alisa Weilerstein, violinist Vadim Repin, and pianists Simon Trpčeski and Emanuel Ax. Tickets range from $27.50 to $104.50 and are available at PalmBeachSymphony.org. The concert underscores Palm Beach Symphony's commitment to engaging the community through world-class performances.
