Pianist Khatia Buniatishvili to play at famed Barcelona theatre

Celebrated Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili will appear at Barcelona’s famed Gran Teatre del Liceu venue for a performance of classics by composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky next week.

Promoted as "one of the symbols” of the Catalan city, the 2,292-capacity theatre will host Buniatishvili’s performance on May 25.

Buniatishvili will be joined by the venue’s symphony orchestra and Spanish conductor Josep Pons for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 5.

See Khatia Buniatishvili perform the Andantino from Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Israel Philharmonic and conductor Zubin Mehta:

The theatre’s preview for the evening said the piano work would present a "high drama and the skilful dialogue between the solo instrument and the orchestra”, while the symphony piece would embody its "idea of inexorable destiny”.

Founded in 1847, the Barcelona venue is located on the city’s central la Rambla street. Its cast of performers throughout the last decade has featured famous artists including Swedish soprano Nina Stemme and Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez.

Buniatishvili’s appearance at Gran Teatre del Liceu will come less than a week after her performance at the Grand Opera of Avignon in France.

The Gran Teatre del Liceu is one of Barcelona's major cultural spots. Photo: Gran Teatre del Liceu.

It will also take place just days before her appearance at France’s Heures Musicales de Biot Festival and a later date at the Piano Festival Ruhr in Dortmund, Germany.

Born in Georgia’s seaside city Batumi, Buniatishvili is now based in France.

She has been praised as "one of today’s most technically gifted young pianists" by the classical music review website Gramophone and lauded for her "ferocious intensity, vivid imagery, and sheer excitement" by San Francisco Classical Voice.

Her international awards include being named Musician of the Year by Europe's most viewed television channel TF1 in December 2016 and the ECHO Klassik 2016 Award from Germany's Music Industry Association.