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Hello Americans! I just discovered that Kissin has a few upcoming recitals in the US in May, some of them with the exact same program that I just heard from him.

Tour Schedule

Needless to say, I warmly recommend it. The way he plays that Schumann sonata... and the Scriabin... oh my.

I see that the tour schedule includes several of his 2020 concerts, but it doesn't include his Philadelphia all-Beethoven recital on May 14, 2020. This is actually being presented as a "special event" by the Philadelphia Orchestra; that's why the note about the Orchestra appears at the end. This will definitely be on my calendar:

Yes, mine too! I can't let him play my favourite sonata without me hearing it! I'm just agonising over where I'll see it, because there's no way I can get to Vienna in January. Maybe I'll catch him in London instead, or in Luxemburg if I can find a cheap flight

I think it's time for a return visit to Dublin. He hasn't been here since 2012!

So here's an interesting one - Nobuyuki Tsujii at Carnegie Hall on Friday May 10th.

You may remember him from the 2009 Cliburn - he shared the gold. He's completely blind and learns 'by ear'. At the Cliburn I remember he played the Hammerklavier in the final round. All those leaps. Just wow.


Anyway, Murray Peraih was supposed to play on May 10th but pulled out for health reasons. So now Nobuyuki Tsujii will be there instead.

A program full of personal favorites:

SATIE Trois Gymnopédies

DEBUSSY Images, Book I

RAVEL Sonatine

CHOPIN Scherzo No. 1

CHOPIN Scherzo No. 2

CHOPIN Scherzo No. 3

CHOPIN Scherzo No. 4


I bought my tickets just yesterday and got two in a first tier box, keyboard side. So there are still good seats to be had.

Please do me a favor: Let us know how the heck he does that leap in the last measure!

(I don't just mean how well he does it: I mean how he seems to go about it at all.)

There are leaps all over that piece, as well as the others, but that's the one I really would wonder about.)

I wanted to give people a heads up about the Xavier University Music Series: https://www.xavier.edu/musicseries/

If you are interested in solo piano concerts by high-caliber artists in an intimate setting, I don't think I've come across better in the midwest. The series is a wonderful mix between big names (like Stephen Hough, Barry Douglas, Simone Dinnerstein), up-and-coming artists like Anderson and Roe, and even mixes in competition winners and younger artists. This season I have really enjoyed Sara Davis Buechner's concert, as well as Pianoworld's own Brendan Kinesella with a wonderful Bach program.

The next one I am looking forward to is Frederic Chiu on April 28th. There are not many venues in the midwest that bring in these kind of names for smaller concerts, and I have learned a lot by attending.

I have always enjoyed listening to Frederic Chiu. His Rossini: Sins of Old Age is especially enjoyable.

I just got back from the Chiu performance and I think it was the most remarkable live concert I have heard in a couple of years. It was all all-Prokofiev program, including sonatas 2, 3, 7, Romeo and Juliet selections, his own transcription of Lieutenant Kije (amazing), and Suggestions Diabolique for an encore. I have never heard such nuanced, musical, and overall remarkable Prokofiev played live.

If you have a chance to see Chiu playing Prokofiev, just do it.

I hope I get the opportunity in the future!

I'm making an exception to that.

I'm playing a recital (free) next week at the great little auditorium of a local music school:
Wednesday, May 8, 7 PM
Music Conservatory of Westchester
(216 Central Ave., White Plains, NY -- right near the north end of Central Ave., next door to the City Limits Diner)

It's to help prepare for the Boston amateur competition, which is June 5-8.

Program:
Schubert Impromptu in A-flat major (the "slow" one, from the second set)
Chopin Etude in F minor, Op. 25 #2
Scriabin Etude in B-flat minor, Op. 8 #11
Beethoven Sonata in F-sharp major, Op. 78
Scriabin Sonata #10
---------------
Chopin Polonaise in F-sharp minor
Schubert "little" A major Sonata (D. 664)

Would love to have any of you all come!
(You might be the only ones there.)

Coincidentally, I'll be performing the Debussy cello sonata and L'Isle joyeuse at The Westchester complex in DC on Monday evening (see below). Second half will be the Debussy string quartet. Cool thing is, we get PAID! DC Metropolitan Area residents, please note that your attendance will provide a meal for my starving children.

Mark, is your program content and sequence set in stone? If not, I have no comment and will await updates. If so, well I'll just stand by to hear your answer.

Either way, I am looking forward to hearing your Op. 25 No. 2. I had a student in NYC who actually got what I was trying to teach him about the rhythmic intricacies of that piece and how Chopin's indications should be interpreted literally. He got it, but was never able to actually execute it. So I'll be following the live feed with bated breath as you perform this exquisite, complex masterpiece.



“Four on Five” presents an all-Debussy Program

The Westchester
4000 Cathedral Avenue, N.W.
Southwest Corner of Cathedral Avenue and 39th Street
Monday, May 6, 2019 -- Main Lobby, 7:30 p.m.

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
~ Sonata for cello and piano (1915)
~ L’Isle Joyeuse (The Joyful Island) for solo piano (1904)
~ String Quartet, Op. 10 in G minor (1893)

Robyn Tessin and Carolyn Esko Carlson, violins;
Julia Moline, viola; Valerie Matthews, cello;
Simon Finlow, piano

Pretty much (geared by my round-to round in the competition), but I'd still be interested to hear your impressions. (You won't be messing me up.)

BTW, the one time I made the semi-finals at the Cliburn, I had gotten all kinds of expert feedback telling me that my 1st round program was a terrible idea. I listened with interest.

Marc-André Hamelin is playing at the NCH in Dublin next Thursday (May 9th). For me the highlight will be the Schumann Fantasie, Chopin Polonaise-Fantaisie, and Scherzo no.4. I'm glad he now plays music that I like.

I like the cheap unreserved tickets in the choir balcony for solo piano recitals, as I can find the perfect position after I arrive. It's only €27.50.

You'll have to report back. I love Hamelin's work, but his Chopin can fall flat for me.

Jean Rondeaux will be at The Wigmore on 10 June 2019. I may attend.

Self-promotion alert!!

Some of the best string players in the DC metro area will be performing with me as a grateful accessory on Monday May 6 at 7:30 at The Westchester complex, 4000 Cathedral Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016. We'll be doing a selection of Debussy's greatest masterpieces.

Here's the official blurb:

“Four on Five” presents an all-Debussy Program
Monday, May 6, 2019
Main Lobby, 7:30 p.m.

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
~ Sonata for cello and piano (1915)
~ L’Isle Joyeuse (The Joyful Island) for solo piano (1904)
~ String Quartet, Op. 10 in G minor (1893)
Robyn Tessin and Carolyn Esko Carlson, violins;
Julia Moline, viola; Valerie Matthews, cello;
Simon Finlow, piano

To lead our thoughts to Paris in the spring, the string quartet “Four on Five” and pianist Simon Finlow look forward to presenting this all-Debussy program. The program draws from all phases of Claude Debussy’s compositional life: from his youthful String Quartet, to his colorful “L’Isle Joyeuse” (The Joyful Island) for solo piano, to his autumnal Sonata for cello and piano.

The performers appear regularly with the Friday Morning Music Club. In addition, violinists Robyn Tessin and Carolyn Esko Carlson and violist Julia Moline are members of the Avanti Orchestra, cellist Valerie Matthews has appeared on previous Westchester programs with the Leland Ensemble, and pianist Simon Finlow is a frequent participant in piano competitions and master classes.

Marc-Andre Hamelin (July 12 and 14) and George Li (June 29) will be performing at the Bellingham Festival of Music for those within reach of western Washington state.

So the concert was fantastic. His delicacy and tonal control are simply amazing.

I paid special attention to how he approached leaps. You know how all of our teachers tell us to move our hand into position early, to the extent possible, to make sure it's in place and give ourselves a tiny bit of time to play the note without harshness? He's better at that than anyone else. He also does it constantly, even in movements that most of us wouldn't categorize as 'leaps' but still involve moving the entire hand. It's so impressive to watch, at times it seems like you're watching a video with slightly out of sync audio, where the movement occurs ever so slightly before the sound. I think he also leaves the note before a leap earlier than most would, at least in some cases, to give him that tiny bit more time to find the landing spot. He's creative with the pedal to get away with this.

And by the way, he often needs that time for correction. Many times I saw him leap a little too far and do a sub-second correction and find the right note. Again, it's safe to say he's better at this that the rest of us. It's really amazing to watch. It's also inspired me to do a better job on this.

You can what I'm talking about on some of the youtube videos of him playing,

Thanks for the recap.