Maria João Pires (81) stops playing the piano. Her Dutch agency writes in a press release that the world-famous concert pianist decided this last weekend. The reason would be the stroke she had in June. Until last week, impresario Friso Verschoor writes that he had hoped for a recovery in the course of 2026, but “that turned out to be in vain.” Her last public concert was on March 19 in The Hague, together with pianist Ignasi Cambra.
Pires became famous in the past sixty years for her Mozart and Chopin interpretations. It was included in the agenda of Amare in The Hague in April, and Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht in June this year. Marc-André Hamelin will replace Pires in The Hague. It is not yet known who will replace her in Amsterdam and Utrecht.
She would like to be involved with music in other ways, such as workshops for young musicians.
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