The Macao Orchestra invites one of the world’s most talented pianists to close its concert season

aving the best for last, the Macao Orchestra is closing its 2010-2011 concert season with a very special guest: world-renowned pianist Barry Douglas.

The Irishman joins the orchestra and maestro Lü Jia to perform a masterpiece of the Romantic piano repertoire, Brahms’ “Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major”. Concluding the programme is Beethoven’s emotional and exciting seventh symphony.

Mr Douglas has made a grand international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. At the time, he was the only non-Russian since American Van Cliburn to have won the prestigious award outright.

Although that was his life-changing moment, until a short time before the competition Mr Douglas had not considered entering. The final decision was only made about 10 days before the competition started.

The required repertory was not a problem, since he was already familiar with most of it.

“I wasn’t expecting anything to happen. I went to Moscow determined to eat caviar, enjoy myself, play the best I could in my own style. It is a big mistake to try to alter your playing to satisfy a jury. An artist has to express himself, and that is what I was determined to do. If I could win, fine; if not, no tears,” Mr Douglas explained to the “New York Times” two years after grabbing the distinction.

Mr Douglas went on stage with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra for his final performance after rehearsing for just 45 minutes, owing to a food allergy that made his hands swollen.

Last month Mr Douglas returned to the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, this time as a jury member. “The most important thing on any stage is to make music and have respect for the composer. That underpins the decision of the jury,” he tweeted from Moscow.

Directors’ chair

In 1999, Mr Douglas formed Camerata Ireland, an all-Irish chamber orchestra, with players from both the north and south of Ireland to celebrate “the wealth of Irish musical talent”. He remains artistic director. With his orchestra, Mr Douglas devotes an increasing part of his time to directing from the piano and conducting. He is also the artistic director of the Clandeboye Festival and the Castletown Concerts in Ireland.

Mr Douglas has performed with every important international orchestra and collaborated with some of the best conductors in the world. Recently he has played with the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

The pianist has recorded extensively throughout his career and has recorded all the Beethoven concertos with Camerata Ireland. In 2008, Sony/BMG released his recording of Rachmaninov’s first and third piano concertos with the Russian National Orchestra and Russian conductor Evgeny Svetlanov.

Taking classical music to a wider audience, in 2007 Mr Douglas presented his first television series for RTE Ireland’s “Symphony Sessions” – a programme showing orchestral life behind the scenes. He has also presented a series for BBC Northern Ireland that shows the development of young Irish musicians.

He received the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 New Year’s Honours List for services to music.