Pianist Petronel Malan Set for Hugo Concert Series Tonight

Tonight, 4 August, the Hugo Concert Series will present the award-winning Grammy nominated pianist Petronel Malan in a highly anticipated recital that will include works by Haydn, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Liszt.

This is especially good news for all her fans after she had to sadly cancel her last scheduled tour to South Africa in August 2011. Days before she had to play her first concert in Johannesburg, she was diagnosed with rheumatic fever (an illness that first afflicted her as a child). Having subsequently enjoyed a full recovery from this set-back, she returned to her dizzying teaching and performance schedule and is again set to enthrall her South African audience with virtuoso technique and supreme musical insight.

An exclusive recording artist for the award-winning label Hänssler Classic, her debut disc "Transfigured Bach: The Complete Bach Transcriptions of Bartok, Lipatti and Friedman," was nominated for three Grammy awards, including "Best Instrumental Solo Album 2004." The album was on the Top-10 list for Classic FM for over 35 weeks. Her second recording "Transfigured Mozart," was released in 2006 to critical acclaim. Further releases followed with "Transfigured Beethoven" and "Transfigured Tchaikovsky". As "Blüthner Concert Artist" she uses these pianos exclusively for her recordings.

Presented by the Hugo Concert Series, pianist Petronel Malan will perform on Sunday 4 August 2013 at the Hugo Lambrechts Auditorium, Picton Street, Parow. Tickets at R130, R90 (pensioners), R60 (students/learners) are available on www.webtickets.co.za or by calling 021 461 3816 during office hours.

Petronel started piano lessons with her mother at an early age. Considered the "last prodigy" of Adolph Hallis (a student of Matthay and Leschetizky), she debuted with the Johannesburg Symphony at the age of ten and won every competition she was eligible to enter in South Africa - including the youngest winner ever of the coveted SABC Music Prize. After her European debut in 1987, she also won the first prize at the Third International Piano Competition in Marsala, Sicily. In 1991, she relocated to the United to pursue her career, where she completed her undergraduate degree at Michigan State University and her graduate studies at the University of North Texas, studying under Joseph Banowetz.

She continues to appear as recitalist, orchestra soloist and chamber musician on four continents. Highlights include performances at venues such as Carnegie Recital Hall, Salle Cortot (Paris), the Mozarteum (Salzburg), the Liszt Museum (Budapest), Kravis Center (West Palm Beach), Orchestra Hall (Chicago), Caramoor (Katonah, NY) and Bass Hall (Fort Worth), as well as the Gilmore and Ravinia Festivals.

In 2003, she received the "Rapport/City Press Prestige Award" as one of the "10 Most Inspirational Women in South Africa."