Pianist Brian Ganz Performs 'Chopin: Breaking The Rules' at The Music Center at Strathmore

Internationally acclaimed pianist Brian Ganz celebrates his 11th concert in his quest to perform the complete works of Frédéric Chopin with "Chopin: Breaking the Rules" at The Music Center at Strathmore at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb.26, 2022.

The concert will be marked by Ganz's signature "musical gardening," during which he will demonstrate Chopin's growth as a composer by showing how early works contain the seeds of the composer's genius, which comes to full bloom in mature examples of the same genres.

The concert will also explore how Chopin broke away from traditional classical practices of the preceding generations. The program will include Chopin's Minute Waltz and his Heroic Polonaise. Ganz began his "Extreme Chopin" quest in January 2011 with a sold-out recital in partnership with The National Philharmonic at The Music Center at Strathmore. He has since maintained a brimming concert schedule, representing his unique niche as perhaps the only pianist to perform Chopin's entire oeuvre.

Ticket prices are $45-$99, free for young people 7-17. There is a 25% discount for military and veterans. Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. For COVID info see www.nationalphilharmonic.org/safety. To purchase tickets, visit www.nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301-581-5100.

Ganz explains how many of Chopin's works "broke the rules" of traditional classical compositions: While building this program, Ganz noticed that many of the pieces do not end in the key in which they begin, also known as the tonic key. He describes this practice of returning to the tonic key as a bedrock principle of the Classical era, which preceded the Romantic era. "I began to see this program as a 'cutting edge of Romanticism' kind of program," said Ganz. "Chopin, the iconic Romantic composer, is breaking this unwritten Classical rule of returning to the home key, and doing so over and over, sometimes in truly astonishing ways."

Ganz has made it his mission to play all of Chopin's works. "Initially, I thought it would take me 10 years to perform Chopin's full repertoire," said Ganz. "But I came to realize that savoring every note was more important than finishing by any sort of deadline, so I'll be providing Chopin concerts for audiences to enjoy for a few more years. Perhaps I'll have performed all of Chopin's works by year 15. We'll see!"

For the February 26 recital, Ganz will perform five episodes of musical gardening-three before intermission, and two afterward. "For listeners who are new to my metaphor of musical gardening, it's a little like watching seedlings grow through time-lapse photography," said Ganz. "We hear early works of Chopin, and then we compare these to his more mature works in the same genres. We hear Chopin grow as a composer before our very ears. In doing so, we realize geniuses aren't born fully formed-they have to grow."

As Ganz will focus on comparing Chopin's earlier works to his later, more mature works, audiences will enjoy a repertoire that includes mazurkas, waltzes, and polonaises before intermission. He will pair the earlier Mazurka in B-flat major, Op. Posth. (1832), to the magnificent 4 Mazurkas, Op. 30 (1837). He will then perform the rarely heard Contredanse in G-flat major, Op. Posth. (1827), followed by a comparison of four waltzes: Waltz in D-flat major Op. 70, No. 3 (1829), Waltz in E minor, Op. Posth. (1830) Waltz in F minor Op. 70, No. 2 (1842), and Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1 ("Minute") (1847). Ganz will finish the first half of his performance with a comparison of two polonaises: the almost unknown Polonaise in D minor, Op. 71, No. 1 (1827-28) and the great Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 ("Heroic") (1842-43), perhaps the greatest polonaise ever written.

About this latter genre, Ganz said: "The polonaises are in general better known to the public than the mazurkas because they tend toward grand, noble gestures full of majesty and dignity. During the performance, I'll show how the early polonaise demonstrates the seed of Chopin's genius, and how that comes to full flower in the mature polonaise," said Ganz. "But the mazurkas are, for me, even more soulful works that reveal Chopin's deep love of his homeland. The waltzes demonstrate the composer's great melodic gift."

Following intermission, Ganz will perform Lento con Gran' Espressione ("Nocturne in C-sharp minor," Op. Posth.) (1830), followed by two Nocturnes from Op. 32 (1837). He will end the with a performance with a trio of well-loved works: Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17, No. 4 (1833), Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38 (1839), and Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31 (1837).

Ganz is well on his way with his "Extreme Chopin" quest to be the first to perform all of Chopin's 250 works, and he has been captivating concert audiences of 2,000-plus since he began. Of the lesser-known works, Ganz says, "There's something beautiful in everything Chopin wrote. In my journey through his complete works, I will play every single note he composed, and this includes all the works he composed along the way to artistic maturity."

Ganz's fondness for Chopin precedes him. During an interview with the Chester County Press, pianist and former Ganz student Jennifer Nicole Campbell said that during her training with Ganz at Peabody, he was known as "the Chopin guy. [Brian] introduced me to a whole new way of thinking about music. He was extremely conscious of everything in life being put into the music. I knew right away, even before I applied to the school, that he was my teacher," Campbell said.

Ganz sometimes brings his entire collection of Chopin's music to a performance so that he can accept requests from the audience. "One of my lifelong goals has been to study every single note Chopin composed," Ganz said. In an exuberant review of an all-Chopin recital Ganz played at the Polish Embassy, The Washington Post wrote, "One comes away from a recital by pianist Brian Ganz not only exhilarated by the power of the performance but also moved by his search for artistic truth."

In 2010, Ganz visited Poland, invited by the renowned conductor Miroslaw Blaszczyk to

play with the Filharmonia Slaska 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 Zelazowa Wola. The whole experience was a pilgrimage for me."

Ganz's Chopin inspiration started as young as age 11. "Chopin's music is the language of my soul, and I have dreamed since childhood of someday performing all of his works," said Ganz, who is widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation. 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 shared First Grand Prize in the Marguerite Long Jacques Thibaud International

Piano Competition and won a silver medal with Third Prize in the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Competition. He has performed as a soloist with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the City of London Sinfonia and Paris's L'Orchestre Lamoureux and under the direction of conductors such as Leonard Slatkin and Mstislav Rostropovich. He is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Leon Fleisher. Earlier teachers include Ylda Novik and Claire Deene.

Gifted as a teacher himself, Ganz is on the piano faculty of St. Mary's College of Maryland, where he is artist-in-residence, and was a long time member of the piano faculty of the Peabody Conservatory. He is the artist-editor of the Schirmer Performance Edition of Chopin's Preludes (2005). Recent performance highlights include Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Alba Music Festival in Italy and with The National Philharmonic at Strathmore, Mozart's Piano Concerto K. 466 and the Annapolis Symphony and his Concerto K. 488 with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra at the recently opened Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and a solo recital for the Distinguished Artists Series of Santa Cruz, California. Ganz has also been a member of the jury of the Long Thibaud Competition in Paris.

The National Philharmonic under Gajewski is known for performances that are "powerful," "impeccable" and "thrilling" (The Washington Post). In July 2003, the National Chamber Orchestra and Masterworks Chorus merged to create The National Philharmonic, an ensemble with more than 50 years of combined history, bringing high-caliber musical performances to the Washington area. The National Philharmonic took up residence at the state-of-the-art Music Center at Strathmore upon its opening in February 2005. Now, more than 250 performances later, and with far-reaching educational programming, The National Philharmonic is the largest and most active professional orchestra based in Montgomery County. It is also the only classical music organization in the Washington-Metro area that offers free tickets for children ages 7-17. The National Philharmonic recognizes this young audience as the classical music lovers of the future, and hopes to encourage future generations of concertgoers through this free-ticket program.

A February 24, 2019, review in The Washington Post by Patrick Rucker notes The National Philharmonic's "distinctive personality," adding, "The vibe in the audience is that everybody onstage is happy, and maybe a little proud to be there, and the music sounds that way." In fact, National Philharmonic's "distinctive personality" is part and parcel of the world-class acoustics of the Music Center at Strathmore. The concert hall, orchestra and chorale together create this world-class sound. The National Philharmonic's Strathmore Concert Hall home is an integral component of its artistic success. In fact, it is because of this success that the Philharmonic was recently recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts.

As the Music Center at Strathmore's orchestra-in-residence, The National Philharmonic showcases world-renowned guest artists in time-honored symphonic masterpieces conducted by Maestro Gajewski, and monumental choral masterworks under National Philharmonic Chorale Artistic Director Stan Engebretson.

To purchase tickets for the performances and for information about the Philharmonic's upcoming season, please visit nationalphilharmonic.org or call the Strathmore Ticket Office at 301.581.5100.

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