Pierre-Laurent Aimard makes his way to Sydney and Melbourne in March for orchestral concerts and recitals in both cities. On March 9, 11, and 12, he joins the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Robertson for performances of Des canyons aux étoiles, Messaien’s twelve-movement ode to Utah’s Bryce Canyon, accompanied by a special visual production by landscape photographer Deborah O’Grady. He then performs Boulez’s Dérive I with Sydney Symphony Orchestra musicians on March 13 as part of an evening of chamber music at Carriageworks.

A March 14 recital at Sydney’s City Recital Hall features a complete presentation of Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, the composer’s meditation on the infancy of Jesus. Aimard reprises this work during the following week at the Melbourne Recital Centre on March 20. Concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on March 18, 19, and 21 feature Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis.