My pianist son, as opposed to my cricketer son (that’s him in the red helmet), has requested for his Christmas present a ticket to see the wonderful pianist Maurizio POLLINI. Pollini is playing one gig only in Paris, on January 25 at the SALLE PLEYEL in the rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré in the eighth. Pollini is going to be playing Beethoven Sonatas Opus 31 no. 2 and Opus 57, and Deuxième Sonata by French conductor and composer Pierre BOULEZ.

Opus 31 no.2, also known as ‘THE TEMPEST’, is BEETHOVEN’S musical response to Shakespeare’s play, while Opus 57 also known as the ‘APPASSIONATA’ was considered by Beethoven to be his greatest piano sonata. I remember taking the kids to see ‘The Tempest’ performed by the Australian Bell Shakespeare Company in Melbourne many years ago, but will be re-reading it before January 25!

Pierre BOULEZ’S 2nd SONATA is often considered one of the greatest works of the 20th century. In common with other contemporary music, Boulez’s work has been championed by POLLINI throughout his career, as have the cornerstones of the piano repertoire, such as the Beethoven sonatas.

As a little foretaste, here is a 2004 clip of Maurizio Pollini and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA playing an excerpt of the first movement of BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO NO. 4, with conductor Claudio ABBADO.

As with most events these days, Pollini’s concert at the Salle Pleyel can be booked online. As I was doing so, I noticed there was an option for printing the tickets chez vous. So, voilà, now I have my tickets all printed and ready to go in two months time. For extra security I was able to save the tickets as a pdf file and send them to my son in England. I’ve found this printing-at-home option is available for many bookings now—not just for concerts and theatre, but also some train tickets. It sure beats queuing. Mind you, I’ve had some interesting conversations in Paris queues over the years, and considerably honed my French speaking skills at the same time. Maybe I’ll forego the printing chez vous option once in a while…