Up Coming Piano Solo Recitals at Carnegie Hall

Yes!!!  I am so happy! Murray Perahia is performing a solo recital in Carnegie Hall in October! More excitingly, he is performing Bach's Partita no. 6. Also important to note that he is playing lots of Chopin pieces ( an etude, 2 mazurkas, and scherzo No. 4) . I am excited, excited. I highly recommend my students to listen to his Chopin and Bach.  Can't wait for October to come! Detail of recital as follow: 

Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 8 PM

MURRAY PERAHIA

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

Murray Perahia, Piano

BACH	Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830
BEETHOVEN	Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109
SCHUMANN	Kinderszenen, Op. 15
CHOPIN	Etude in A-flat Major, Op. 25, No. 1, "Aeolian Harp"
CHOPIN	Mazurka in A-flat Major, Op. 59, No. 2
CHOPIN	Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, Op. 50, No. 3
CHOPIN	Mazurka in F-sharp Minor, Op. 59, No. 3
CHOPIN	Scherzo No. 4

One surprise I found from the Carnegie Hall recital calender is, Pollini is playing an all-Chopin program next year in April! It will be a great listening experience. Details as followed:

Thurs, Apr 29, 2010 at 8 PM

MAURIZIO POLLINI

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

Maurizio Pollini, Piano

CHOPIN	Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49
CHOPIN	Four Mazurkas, Op. 41
CHOPIN	Sonata No. 2
CHOPIN	Two Nocturnes, Op. 48
CHOPIN	Polonaise in F-sharp Minor, Op. 44
CHOPIN	Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52
CHOPIN	Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53

Excerpt from Chopin Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 (III. Marche funebre)

Maurizio Pollini, Piano 
Deutsche Grammophon

Excerpt from Chopin Polonaise No. 3 in A, Major Op. 40, No.1, "Military"

Maurizio Pollini, Piano
Deutsche Grammophon

Prokofiev

Anyone who loves prokofiev would have a slight kinkiness in their personality. Why? Listen to his music, you will not be more agreeable on this. There are many ways a composer can affect how a world think. Definitely, what Prokofiev has done to us all musicians and non-musicians is, music is not art that only please, it should muse you. Whichever way it is, he tells us that he could muse us with his arrangement of dissonances. And he really does.

Usually when you think that his music is a chaos, it is in its most orderly form possible. He is not just making noise. He made noises that quite resemble certain moments in your life. I think it is quite quirky type of art form and it is really quite intimate and fun to listen to.

Nowadays, many virtuoso pianists choose to perform his compositions in order to improve their pianistic skills or show off their athletic sides at piano bench. His piano concertos no.1-5 are meant to be admired like a modern piece of art. Unlike the background music that pleases everyone in restaurant you can find mysterious, lyrical, spiritual, elegant, artful, intense dynamic and dangerous moments in Prokofiev’s fine compositions. Pianists are able to play with tone colors in Debussy’s compositions, so as Prokofiev’s.

Some recommendations of recordings that are worth listening to:
Piano Concert No1 & 3 by Martha Argerich
Piano Concert No.2 by Yundi Li

Martha Argerich’s temperament suits Concert No.3 the most because she has the fiery element that helps to bring out the dynamic part of the third movement of that concerto. Listening to her third movement, you can feel that the sophistication of the pianist and the composer.

Yundi Li is a poetic pianist. More towards Chopin-Schubert type of spectrum. He is really good with the first movement. His interpretation creates a different dimension in the listening experience. His clean, transparent sound at the beginning helps to build the tension effectively towards the climax part of the piece. My favorites are first movement and the fourth movement.

In general, Prokofiev’s pieces are introduced to pianist in advanced level because they are very useful in learning intense wide jump, complex rhythm, strange intervals use, and wide range use of piano keyboard. Always, as a result, a pianist acquires a descent sight-reading skills from playing his pieces too.