Legendary pianist Emanuel Ax releases his new solo recital album Variations, featuring the artist's premiere recordings of pieces from Haydn, Beethoven and Schumann. Throughout 2013, Ax will be performing repertoire from Variations in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, DC and Pittsburgh. Additionally, as an Artist in Residence with the New York Philharmonic, Ax will appear frequently throughout 2013 at Lincoln Center. From a string of early career successes in the 1970s, Emanuel Ax has emerged as one of the most versatile, brilliant, and universally respected pianists on the international concert scene. As a soloist, Ax has demonstrated a particular affinity for the Romantics, nonetheless, his repertoire is among the most diverse of any pianist today. He is also a particular champion of contemporary music, and has played and commissioned works from such composers as Joseph Schwantner, John Adams, and Christopher Rouse. Ax is considered by players and audiences alike to be a chamber musician par excellence and his frequent partners include Isaac Stern, Jaime Laredo and Richard Stolzman. His regular collaborations with cellist Yo-Yo Ma have earned Ax three of his seven Grammy® Awards.