Celebrating its 10th anniversary year in 2019, Melbourne Recital Centre’s Great Performers Concert Series looks set to deliver on its promise, presenting some of the world’s greatest pianists alongside Australia’s finest.

Satu Vänskä. Photo © Kristoffer Paulsen 

The season begins in February when the ACO’s Principal Violin Satu Vänskä is joined by pianist Kristian Chong for a tantalisingly eclectic program. They’ll play the Adagio and Fugue from Bach’s Violin Sonata in G Minor, Beethoven’s Sonata for Piano and Violin in A, and Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G as well as his Tzigane. They’ll also present rarer fare like Lutosławski’s playful Subito and Kaija Saariaho’s …de la Terre.

March sees the return of early music pioneer and viola da gambist Jordi Savall, this time teaming up with guitarist Xavier Díaz-Latorre for an exclusive MRC program. They celebrate the golden age of the gamba with works by Marin Marais, whose skills on the instrument captivated the famously discerning Sun King, Louis XIV. Other composers on the bill include Ferrabosco, Visée and Martín y Coll.