Gutiérrez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1948. His mother, Josefina Gutiérrez Fernández, was his first piano teacher, and was herself an accomplished pianist. His first formal piano teacher was César Pérez Sentenat. Gutiérrez began performing before audiences at four years of age, and at 11, performed as soloist with the Havana Symphony playing Haydn's D major concerto. When Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba in 1959, the family decided to leave the country together rather than send Gutiérrez abroad alone at a young age. 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 Mil liard 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 1996-2003. He is currently teaching at Manhattan School of Music. Gutiérrez is best known for his interpretation of the Romantic repertoire. He's 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.
Prokofiev's Concertos No. 2 and 3 with Neeme Järvi and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The recording has been acclaimed since its initial release in 1990. Reissued as part of Prokofiev The Piano Concertos in 2009, it was Gramophone's Editor’s Choice in September. Bryce Morrison wrote in Gramophone Magazine, "...Gutiérrez unleashes some of the most thrilling virtuosity on record, storming the Second Concerto’s first movement development/cadenza in a manner that will make lesser pianists tremble."
After his debut recital in London, Joan Chissell, music critic with The Times 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.
