Horacio Gutiérrez (born 1948) is a Cuban-American classical pianist known for his performances of works in the Romantic Repertoire.

Early life and education

When Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba in 1959, the family decided to leave the country. He moved with his family to the United States in 1962, studying in Los Angeles with Sergei Tarnowsky, Vladimir Horowitz's first teacher in Kiev, and later at the Juilliard School under Adele Marcus,a pupil of Russian pianist Josef Lhévinne. He later worked extensively with American pianist William Masselos, a pupil of Carl Friedberg, who himself had studied with Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. In 1970, he was a student at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.

Career

Gutiérrez's performance career spans over four decades. He was first seen on American television in 1966, on one of the Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein, playing "The Great Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition, by Modest Mussorgsky. On August 23, 1970, Gutiérrez made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta in Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. Martin Bernheimer, music critic with the Los Angeles Times, described his first appearance with the orchestra as "spectacular". He was M.D. Anderson Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Houston from 1996 to 2003. He is currently teaching at Manhattan School of Music. Gutiérrez is best known for his interpretation of the Romantic repertoire. He has been commented for performances of the Classical style in music of composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms. Gutiérrez is a strong champion of contemporary American composers. He has performed works by William Schuman, André Previn and George Perle. His recording "George Perle: A Retrospective" was named one of the ten best recordings of 2006 by The New Yorker. Perle dedicated Nine Bagatelles to Gutiérrez.

Recordings

He has recorded for EMI, Telarc and Chandos Records. Gutiérrez's recordings include:

Television

Awards

He won the silver medal and was the top American prize-winner at 21 years of age in the 1970 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Soviet Union. and was soon presented in major world-wide concert venues by Sol Hurok's management. In 1982, he was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in recognition of his musical achievements. He won an Emmy Award for his fourth appearance with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Reception

After his debut recital in London, Joan Chissell, music critic with The Times (London) wrote, His virtuosity is of the kind of which legends are made.

Personal life

He currently lives and works in the United States. He met his wife, pianist Patricia Asher, while she was studying with William Masselos and Adele Marcus at the Juilliard School. Gutiérrez suffers from bursitis and a chronic back injury.