Brian Ganz To Perform EXTREME CHOPIN On Feb 28 At Strathmore

Classical pianist Brian Ganz, widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation, will return to Strathmore with a program of rarely heard works by Fryderyk Chopin.

The program, the 14th concert of his "Extreme Chopin" project with The National Philharmonic to play all the music of Chopin, will take place on February 28 at 7:30 pm at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda). Ganz will play Chopin's rarely heard Sonata No. 1 in C minor that he describes as “passion on steroids”. He will be joined by superb pianist Alon Goldstein in two little known Chopin works for two pianists. He will also be joined by the Acting Principal Flutist of The National Philharmonic, Julietta Curenton, in Chopin's only work for flute and piano. The program will also include four of Chopin's  beloved mazurkas on the eve of his 215th birthday.

The audience will be able to share the birthday celebration with Ganz. For more information and tickets ($29-$109, kids 7-17 free) call 301.581.5100 or visit www.nationalphilharmonic.org

 Ganz began his quest to perform all of Fryderyk Chopin's works in 2011. That recital marked the start of his ambitious “Extreme Chopin” quest to perform the approximately 240 works of Chopin by 2026. “Chopin's music is the language of my soul, and I have dreamed since childhood of someday performing all of his works,” said Ganz.

“Chopin's 4 Mazurkas, Op. 68 are  fascinating because they were composed at widely different times in Chopin's life," observes Ganz. "The first three were composed in his youth, the last near his death. Thus they represent a kind of 'artistic bookend' to his creative life. The mood of that fourth mazurka is quite subdued, even mournful. Perhaps he knows that his creative life is nearing its end.”

Chopin's works for two pianists are considered virtuosically demanding to play and delightful, sparkling listening. He composed relatively little collaborative music, preferring solo piano in the vast majority of his works. Ganz says, “In the works for multiple musicians he is enjoying himself immensely, as if bringing the spirit of pure play to the music. So for me these two works have been a highlight of the entire 'Extreme Chopin' project. Every page of these two works sings 'let's have fun!' The music is always primary of course: there is plenty of melodic beauty and harmonic and rhythmic sophistication everywhere. But the fun is also present everywhere. It is difficult to play this music without a smile on one's face!” 

Chopin only wrote one work for flute and piano and Ganz will play that work with flutist Julietta Curenton. “At our first rehearsal she captivated me with her range of colors and dynamic shadings" remarks Ganz. "The piano takes a back seat in this piece, which is all to the good. I can focus on Julietta's gorgeous playing!” 

Chopin's Sonata No. 1 has been a revelation for Ganz. It was the single piece he least expected to fall in love with in the entire project. Ganz says, “How wrong I was! I adore this piece! Chopin began it at the tender age of 17 and finished it the following year, so he hadn't yet found his fullest poetic voice. What 17-year old has? But he has definitely already developed great skill as a storyteller. By the 4th movement we are hearing some of the most exciting and dramatic music of Chopin's entire output.” 

The first movement of the sonata shows Chopin's deep respect for Bach, filled as it is with complex counterpoint. And the second movement shows his love for Mozart. It is light and sparkling but full of melodic substance. The third movement is written in 5/4 time, it may be the very first piece ever in that odd meter. Ganz adds, “Chopin makes it work, and it's surprising to me that he never composed anything else in that meter. In the ultra dramatic last movement I hear the influence of Beethoven. This is passion on steroids!”

The next to last concert in Ganz's quest to perform all of Chopin's music will include 4 Mazurkas, Op. 68; No. 1 in C major; No. 2 in A minor; No. 3 in F major and No. 4 in F minor. Variations on a theme by Rossini, for Flute and Piano, Op. Posth. with Julietta Curenton, flutist; Variation No. 6 from Hexaméron (a multi-composer work organized by Franz Liszt); Variations in D major on a National Air by Thomas Moore, for Piano Duet, Op. Posth. with Alon Goldstein, pianist: Rondo for Two Pianos, Op. 73 with Alon Goldstein, pianist. After intermission: Sonata No. 1, Op. 4; Allegro maestoso; Minuetto: Allegretto; Larghetto; Finale: Presto.

The program includes a short, deeply beautiful variation on a theme from Vincenzo Bellini's opera I Puritani. Chopin's friend and fellow pianist-composer Franz Liszt invited several luminaries of the day to contribute a variation on the theme "Suoni la Tromba" from the opera. He called the multi-composer work Hexaméron. Most of the contributions were full of pianistic fireworks and pyrotechnics. Chopin's was characteristically understated in its depth and lyricism. "It is gorgeous music, Chopin through and through" says Ganz. 

In 2010, Ganz visited Poland, invited by the renowned conductor Mirosław Błaszczyk to

play with the Filharmonia Śląska and Filharmonia Pomorska. Visiting Chopin's home country affected Ganz profoundly. “Chopin is Poland's national treasure. His face was pictured everywhere, sometimes with no name under it and no caption of any kind. It is almost as if he is the air people breathe. This was profoundly satisfying to me, because he has always been the air I breathe,” Ganz said. “I visited the church where his heart lies in Warsaw. I visited the monument where outside concerts take place under a graceful, sweeping statue of him. I took a taxi to his birthplace in Żelazowa Wola. The whole experience was a pilgrimage for me.”

Ganz's Chopin inspiration started as young as age 9. In an article about the project, the Baltimore Sun wrote: “Ganz found himself alone at home one day listening to Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Opus 23. Something in the piece struck Brian Ganz like a bolt from stormy skies.” Ganz recounted that moment, saying, “How can it be so beautiful that it hurts? That was the moment that I like to say Chopin wounded me.”

Ganz has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, The National Philharmonic, the Baltimore and the National Symphonies, the City of London Sinfonia, and L'Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. He has performed in many of the world's major concert halls and has played under the baton of such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman, Jerzy Semkow and Yoel Levi. He is the Musician in Residence at St. Mary's College of Maryland. A critic for La Libre Belgique wrote of Ganz's work: “We don't have the words to speak of this fabulous musician who lives music with a generous urgency and brings his public into a state of intense joy.” 

Alon Goldstein's artistic vision and innovative programming have made him a favorite with audiences and critics internationally. He made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta. He has since played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago, San Francisco, Baltimore, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Vancouver, and Kansas City Symphonies, as well as the London Philharmonic, Philharmonic Radio France, Orchestra National d'Île de France, Beijing Symphony among others. His festival appearances include Gilmore, Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Verbier, and Marlboro, and he has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Kremlin. Alon is the founder and Artistic Director for The Emerald Coast Music Alliance - an organization dedicated to bringing classical music to population that have less access and means. He is also artistic director of The Distinguished Artists Concert & Lecture Series in Santa Cruz, CA, the Mt. Angel Abbey Bach Festival in Oregon, and the Lieven international piano foundation in Vienna. He is the first Peabody alumni to receive the “society of scholars” award from the John Hopkins university,  where he studied under the legendary musician Leon Fleisher. 

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