Recital Programs 2023-25

Program 1: Adoration

J.S. Bach: Partita No.1 in B-Flat Major BWV 825

R. Schumann: Impromptus Op.5

Liszt: Funérailles

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Janáček: Sonata 1.X.1905 

Brahms: Variations on a Theme of R. Schumann Op.9

Amy Beach: Ballade Op.6

The program features works composers have dedicated to others in adoration, whether it be a stranger, a friend, a mentor, or a lover. The exception is the first work, where my own adoration for Bach has inspired me, for several years now, to open the majority of my recitals with his music. For Schumann, it’s for Clara; the work is a theme and variations based on an early passacaglia of Clara Wieck. For Liszt, it’s for three friends who fought and died in the Hungarian Uprising of 1848. For Janáček, it’s for an innocent worker who was bayoneted during demonstrations at a Czech University in Brno. For Brahms, it’s for Robert Schumann, with official dedication of the work to Clara. For Amy Beach, it’s for a role-model, the Austrian-born American pianist Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler. Named America’s best pianist by President William Howard Taft, and student of Leschetizky, Bloomfield-Zeisler had one of the greatest concert careers of any woman in the 20th century.

Program 2: (Un)known (rarities and masterworks side-by-side)

Bach: Partita No.1 in B-Flat Major

Scriabin: Preludes Op.13

Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Schumann Op.9

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Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905

Beethoven: Sonata Op.28 “Pastoral” 

Program 3: Identity

Amy Beach: Ballade Op.6

S. Prokofiev: Sonata No.3 Op.28

R. Schumann: Kinderszenen Op.15

Avner Dorman (b.1975): Sonata No.2

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F. Poulenc: Trois Pièces FP 48

J. Sibelius: Valse Triste Op.44 No.1

Jaakko Kuusisto (1974-2022): Jurmo

Einar Englund (1916-1999): Introduction and Toccata

This program is highly personal and tracks my life in music from the early years of classical training. My roots are explored through some of my favorite works as well as some of the first works I learned in the very beginning. Amy Beach was also a Massachusetts native, and the Prokofiev and Schumann works were two of the first major pieces I tackled. Avner Dorman’s music has been a guiding light for me in my career, while also connecting me with my Jewish background. My international travels first took me to France, where a close cousin was living, and finally to Finland, the country I now call my home.

For a more in-depth explanation of this program — click HERE