出生于一九七O年代盖布莉叶拉是委内瑞拉人,五岁就登台演出,八岁获得委国政府奖学金出国进修。十二岁就获得美国音乐基金会所设立之国际青年音乐家钢琴大赛首奖,当时她夺奖的曲目是非常艰难的柴可夫斯基第一号钢琴协奏曲。今年即将与纽约爱乐合作协奏曲的她,过去三年来也年年参加阿格丽希在卢加诺举行的阿格丽希音乐节。 盖布莉叶拉是钢琴家中非常罕见的一类,即她是一位无需训练即能自 由依所听到的曲调在钢琴上即兴弹奏的钢琴家。这让她被归纳为和顾尔达(Friedrich Gulda)同一等级的音乐家。她从开始学钢琴时就会即兴演奏,后来又在老师和阿格丽希的鼓励下,让自己的即兴弹奏更为精致。2005年10月在发行了「古典与即兴」专辑,以双CD方式,一面演奏古典曲目、一面改编的方式与全世界乐迷见面后,大受欢迎,一时之间成为古典乐界最大的惊喜,这也让她能够以不到一年的时间,立刻又被唱片公司邀请,灌录她的第二张专辑,这一次,她将曲目完全集中在即兴演奏上,将巴哈用融合爵士、新世纪和难以归类的乐风来即兴弹奏。这对她来说是一个相当大胆的尝试,因为她其实是已经受到乐坛肯定的古典钢琴新秀,这样的专辑会让她本身的定位因此模糊,多年来她因此一直不肯将这部份公诸于世,是因为一次私下即兴时不小心不阿格丽希听到,在后者的一再鼓励和劝说之下,她才敢让这一面被世人看见。如今,她在演奏会后的安可上,常会由观众指定主题,立刻现场即兴表演。在这张2006年最新专辑中,她全部采用巴哈著名的旋律来改编,原因在于这音乐奇妙的有机性。片中您将会享受静谧沉思、活泼好动的各式巴哈灵感,经过蒙泰罗充满古典训练的手指,用变化多端又精炼的音色,从黑白琴键中流泄出来。
(by 酸汤肥牛)
“Montero’s playing had everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power...soulful lyricism...unsentimental expressivity.” - The New York Times
Gabriela Montero’s visionary interpretations have won her a quickly expanding audience and devoted following around the world. Her engagements include acclaimed performances with the New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, and WDR Sinfonieorchestre Koln. Recent collaborators include conductors Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel, James Gaffigan, Lorin Maazel, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, and Leonard Slatkin. In recital she has appeared at the festivals of Salzburg, Istanbul, Kuhr, Ravinia, and Tanglewood, as well as the Koln Philharmonie, Tonhalle Dusseldorf, Kennedy Center and Library of Congress in Washington DC, Wigmore Hall in London, Gewandhaus Leipzig, National Arts Centre Ottawa, Orchard Hall Tokyo and at the ‘Progetto Martha Argerich’ Festival in Lugano where she is invited annually.
Ms. Montero’s 2012/13 season highlights include her debut with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and a European recital tour with cellist Gautier Capuçon. She returns for performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic. Ms. Montero recently toured with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and The Cleveland Orchestra, and she performs regularly with Vienna Radio Orchestra and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
In addition to her brilliant and nuanced classical interpretations, Gabriela Montero’s unique personal style comes from her improvisational gifts. “I connect to my audience in a completely unique way – and they connect with me. Because improvisation is such a huge part of who I am, it is the most natural and spontaneous way I can express myself”. Today, in both recital and after performing a concerto, Gabriela often invites her audience to participate in asking for a melody for improvisations.
It has long been a desire to take her improvisations to the next logical step of composition. Gabriela has enthusiastically embarked on this new phase of her career by composing a work entitled ExPatria for piano and orchestra. Her composition received its premiere performances in London and on tour in Germany with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields orchestra. In these concerts, her multi-faceted talents were featured along with her new work as Ms. Montero performed Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto as well as her legendary solo improvisations. Ms. Montero will revisit ExPatria this season with orchestras in the United States and Europe.
Gabriela's innovative perspectives are also in wide demand outside of the classical music world. For the second time, Gabriela Montero is invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland as a featured speaker. She also participates in the Women of the World Festival held at London's Southbank Centre. Ms. Montero performed at the invitation of the White House for President Obama's inauguration in 2008. She is an honored recipient of the 2012 Rockefeller Award for her contributions to the arts.
Ms. Montero’s recordings for EMI Classics comprises of one disc of music by Rachmaninov, Chopin and Liszt and a second of her deeply felt and technically brilliant improvisations. Her EMI CD Bach and Beyond is a complete disc of improvisations on themes by Bach which topped the charts for several months. She earned two ECHO Awards from the Deutsche Phono-Akademie: the Keyboard Instrumentalist of the Year Award in 2006, and the Klassik-ohne-Grenzen Award for Bach and Beyond in 2007. In February 2008 her follow up EMI recording of improvisations Baroque was nominated for a Grammy Award and released with great critical acclaim, receiving 5 star reviews from BBC Music Magazine and Classic FM. Gabriela’s most recent recording Solatino, released by EMI Classics in January, is devoted exclusively to works by Latin American composers. She selected the works of six composers, including Alberto Ginastera’s Piano Sonata No. 1 as well as her own improvisations on Latin themes.
Born in Caracas Venezuela, Gabriela gave her first public performance at the age of five. At the age of eight she made her concerto debut in Caracas and was granted a scholarship from the Venezuelan Government to study in the USA. She currently resides in Massachusetts with her two daughters.