“Play the instrument so that you are able to express all the colors, all the drama and the passion”: that is Kristian Bezuidenhout’s artistic credo. Many might view the fortepiano as a limitation in terms of sonority compared to concert grands. Not so for Bezuidenhout. “On the fortepiano, I can achieve exactly what I had always searched for”, he once said in an interview. “You can put passion and emotions into the music, but it never sounds exaggerated or crude.” Born in South Africa, Bezuidenhout attracted international attention when he won the renowned Musica Antiqua fortepiano contest in Bruges when he was only 21 years old. Ever since then he has been admired as one of the instrument’s most well-versed connoisseurs; with his lively playing and intense performances of classical works. Now he finally gives his long-awaited début at the Ruhr Piano Festival!