Marc Ponthus

Marc Ponthus pioneered the monographic solo piano recital of leading avant-garde composers of the 50s and 60s, devoting entire programs to composers including Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis. He frequently performs landmark works of the past, juxtaposing them with the great works of our time. At the Moscow conservatory, he paired Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata with Pierre Boulez’s Second Sonata. Other Ponthus recital pairings include Bach’s Goldberg Variations with Xenakis’s Herma, and Schumann’s Kreisleriana with Stockhausen’s Klavierstück X.
Marc Ponthus has recorded the complete piano music of Xenakis (Neuma 1014) and Pierre Boulez The Complete Music for Solo Piano (Bridge 9456A/B). Mr. Ponthus is a genuine polymath, and has conducted, staged and directed numerous contemporary chamber works, has written and directed short films which explore alternative concepts of narrative, and composes under the “nom de plume” Oữτις. Mr. Ponthus edited and wrote the preface for a book on the music of Elliott Carter (Pendragon Press), and has written for The Independent in London. Marc Ponthus is a recipient of the Tanne Foundation's Award for achievement in the arts, and is the Director/Founder of the Institute and Festival for Contemporary Performance in New York City.