International Pianists in Recital

When Korean pianist Joyce Yang won the Van Cliburn silver medal she was only 19 years old – her captivating presence and musical authority belied her petite appearance. Since then she’s made her New York Philharmonic debut with Lorin Maazel and begun appearing with some of leading conductors of our age – they all say she’s a musician to watch. Her playing has been praised for its grace and wit, and its combination of musicianly refinement and Romantic flair.

In her imaginative program for Sydney, Joyce Yang will set the scene with music of our own time – the spectacular and magical Gargoyles of Lowell Liebermann and the impulsive rhythms of Carl Vine’s irresistible piano sonata, commissioned for the Sydney Dance Company. Debussy, Chopin and Liszt provide elegant impressions, with a dazzling finale.

L LIEBERMANN Gargoyles
DEBUSSY Estampes
VINE Piano Sonata No.1
CHOPIN Ballade No.4 in F minor, Op.52
CHOPIN Nocturne in F sharp minor, Op.48 No.2
CHOPIN Andante spianato and Grande polonaise brillante, Op.22
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No.6

Pre-concert talk by Ian Munro in the First Floor Reception Room at 6.15pm.

LISTEN TO SAMPLES

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“Anyone hearing him for the first time,” wrote The Independent after François-Frédéric Guy’s Wigmore Hall recital, “must have recognised that here was a big as well as a very polished player.” In 2010 Sydneysiders will be hearing Guy for the first time, in the first of our recitals celebrating the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth.

Chopin is represented by two nocturnes – filigreed music in the genre he made his own – and his inspired Polonaise-Fantaisie. Then Guy’s “astonishing expressiveness” joins forces with his powerful sound for three Beethoven sonatas, concluding with the magical and atmospheric “Moonlight” Sonata.

CHOPIN
Nocturne in C minor, Op.48 No.1
Nocturne in E, Op.62 No.2
Polonaise-fantaisie, Op.61
BEETHOVEN
Sonata No.31 in A flat, Op.110
‘Tempest’ Sonata, Op.31 No.2
‘Moonlight’ Sonata, Op.27 No.2

Please note revised program.

Pre-concert talk by David Garrett at 6.15pm in the First Floor Reception Room.

You can also read our interview with François-Frédéric Guy.


Hear F-F Guy in recital then experience the power of his Emperor Concerto in 
The Hall of Heroes (17, 18, 19 March).

AUDIO PLAYER LISTING

Track 1 – CHOPIN Nocturne, Op.48 No.1
Vladimir Ashkenazy
DECCA 475 8046

Visit us again closer to the concert for more highlights from this program.

Audio kindly supplied by Universal Music.

Currently available from iTunes: Chopin

LISTEN TO SAMPLES

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If you heard Garrick Ohlsson play Rachmaninoff with the Sydney Symphony in 2007 you’ll know his commanding sound. This is your chance to hear him in a program that begins with the elegant flamboyance of an impromptu and ends with Chopin’s greatest sonata – beautiful and breathtaking.
 
Make another date with Chopin when Garrick Ohlsson plays his Second Piano Concerto in the EnergyAustralia Master Series (21, 23, 24 July) and the Mondays @ 7 Series (26 July).

CHOPIN
Impromptu No.2 in F sharp, Op.36
Ballade No.3 in A flat, Op.47
Fantasy, Op.49
Mazurka No.6 in A minor, Op.7 No.2
Mazurka No.7 in F minor, Op.7 No.3
Mazurka No.21 in C sharp minor, Op.30 No.4
Scherzo No.3 in C sharp minor, Op.39
Barcarolle in F sharp, Op.60
Mazurka No.32 in C sharp minor, Op.50 No.3
Sonata No.3 in B minor, Op.58

Pre-concert talk by Dr Robert Curry at 6.15pm in the First Floor Reception Room.

AUDIO PLAYER LISTING

Track 1 – CHOPIN Impromptu No.2
Claudio Arrau, piano
Track 2 – CHOPIN Ballade No.3
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
DECCA 475 8046

Audio kindly supplied by Universal Music

Currently available from iTunes: ‘Ultimate Chopin’