REPERTOIRE

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KATI AGÓCS

Piano Concerto (2022)

 

J. S. BACH

Concerto in D minor BWV 1052

Concerto in A major BWV 1055

Concerto in F minor BWV 1056

 

BARTÓK

Piano Concerto No. 1 Sz. 83

Piano Concerto No. 2 Sz. 95

Piano Concerto No. 3 Sz. 119

 

BEETHOVEN

Choral Fantasy in C minor Op. 80

Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major Op. 15

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major Op. 19

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor Op. 37

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major Op. 58

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major Op. 73

Triple Concerto in C major Op. 56

 

BRAHMS

Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor Op. 15

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major Op. 83

 

CHOPIN

Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brilliante Op. 22

Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor Op. 21

 

DVORÁK

Piano Concerto in G minor Op. 33

 

GERSHWIN

Concerto in F

Rhapsody in Blue

 

HENZE

Concertino for Piano and Winds with Percussion

 

LISZT

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major S. 124

Totentanz S. 126

 

MOZART

Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat major K. 365/316a (Piano II)

Piano Concerto in D minor K. 466

Piano Concerto in A major K. 488

 

MESSIAEN

Oiseaux Exotiques

 

PROKOFIEV

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major Op. 26

 

RACHMANINOFF

Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op. 18

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30

 

RAVEL

Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major

Piano Concerto in G major

 

ROBERT SCHUMANN

Introduction and Allegro Appassionato Op. 92

Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54

 

SCRIABIN

Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor Op. 20

Prometheus: The Poem of Fire Op. 60

 

SHOSTAKOVICH

Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major Op. 102

 

STRAVINSKY

Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra

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KATI AGÓCS

Immutable Dreams (quintet)

 

BARTÓK

Piano Quintet

 

BEETHOVEN

Quintet for Piano and Winds Op. 16

Sonata for Piano and Cello in A major Op. 69

Sonata for Piano and Cello in D major Op. 102 No. 2

Sonata for Piano and Horn in F major Op. 17

Sonata for Piano and Violin in A major Op. 12 No. 2

Sonata for Piano and Violin in F major Op. 24

 

BRAHMS

Piano Quartet in G minor Op. 25

Piano Trio in B major Op. 8

Piano Trio in C minor Op. 101

Sonata for Piano and Cello in F major Op. 99

Sonata for Piano and Violin in G major Op. 78

Waltzes Op. 39 (selections)

 

BRITTEN

Gemini Variations for flute, violin and piano four-hands (Secondo)

 

CARTAN

Introduction et Allegro for Piano and Wind Quintet

 

CASTIGLIONI

Quickly—Variations for Chamber Ensemble

 

COPLAND

Appalachian Spring (chamber version for 13 players)

Danzon Cubano (Piano I)

Hoe-Down from Rodeo (Piano I)

Why do the shut me out of heaven? (voice and piano)

 

DEBUSSY

Danses sacrée et profane (transcription for two pianos / Piano II)

Jeux (transcription for two pianos: Roques / Primo)

La Mer (transcription for piano four-hands / Secondo)

Petite Suite (Secondo)

Prélude à l’après-midi d’une faune (transcription for piano four-hands: Ravel / Secondo)

Prélude à l’après-midi d’une faune (transcription for two pianos / Piano I)

Sonata for Piano and Violin L. 140

 

DOHNÁNYI

Ruralia Hungarica Op. 32c (selections)

 

DVORÁK

Piano Quintet No. 2, Op. 81

Slavonic Dances Opp. 46 & 72 (selections)

 

JOHN DUKE

An awful tempest mashed the air (voice and piano)

 

FRANCK

Piano Quintet in F minor

 

KORNGOLD

Suite for Left Hand Piano and Strings Op. 23

 

KURTÁG

Bagatelles for flute, Piano and Double Bass

Games for piano-four hands (selections)

 

G. LIGETI

Three pieces for Two Pianos (Piano I)

 

L. LIGETI

Holonomy for Piano and Marimba Lumina

 

LISZT

Songs

    Die Lorelei

    Ein Fichtenbaum steht einsam

    Gastibelza

    Ich möchte hingehn

    Über alle Gipfeln ist Ruh

 

LUTOSLAWSKI

Paganini Variations (Piano II)

 

MARTINU

Variations on a Theme by Rossini for Piano and Cello

 

MEDTNER

Canzona and Dance for Violin and Piano Op. 43 No. 2

Three Nocturnes for Violin and Piano Op. 16

 

FANNY MENDELSSOHN

Songs

    Erster Verlust

    Songs, Op. 1 (selections)

 

MESSIAEN

Quartet for the End of Time

 

MOZART

Piano Quartet in E-flat major K. 493

Sonata for Piano and Violin in B-flat major K. 454

 

NANCARROW

Studies 6 and 7 for Two Pianos (arr. Adés, Piano II)

 

NIELSEN

Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano

 

PÄRT

Fratres (for Viola and Piano)

 

POULENC

Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano

Sonata for Piano Four-Hands (Secondo)

 

PROKOFIEV

Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano Op. 80

 

RACHMANINOFF

Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos (Piano I)

 

RAUTAVAARA

Lost Landscapes (selections)

 

RAVEL

La Valse (Piano II)

Piano Trio in A minor

 

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

Four Songs Op. 40

 

SAARIAHO

Semafor for eight instruments

 

SCHUBERT

Rondo in A major D. 951 (Secondo)

Songs

    An den Frühling

    Der Jüngling an der Quelle

    Der Musensohn

    Die Forelle

    Die Sternennächte

    Die Vögel

    Geheimes

 

ROBERT SCHUMANN

Fantasy Pieces Op. 73

Märchenbilder Op. 113

Romances Op. 94

Sonata for Piano and Violin in A minor Op. 105

 

SHOSTAKOVICH

Concertino for Two Pianos Op. 94 (Piano I)

Piano Trio No. 2 Op. 67

 

SMETANA

Sonata for Two Piano (eight-hands / Piano I / Primo)

 

STRAVINSKY

Rite of Spring for Piano Four-Hands (Primo)

 

THUILLE

Sextet for Piano and Winds Op. 6

 

NINA YOUNG

Remains for two pianos and percussion (Piano II)

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ALBÉNIZ

“El Puerto” from Ibéria, Book I

 

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue BWV 903

Fantasy and Fugue in A minor BWV 904

French Suite No. 1 in D minor BWV 812

French Suite No. 2 in C minor BWV 813

French Suite No. 5 in G major BWV 816

Goldberg Variations BWV 988

“Ich ruf zu dir, Herr” BWV 639 (arr. Busoni)

Inventions and Sinfonias BWV 772-801 (selections)

Partita No. 2 in C minor BWV 826

Partita No. 6 in E minor BWV 830

Suite from Partita No. 3 in E major for Violin Solo, BWV 1006 (arr. Rachmaninoff)

The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 (selections)

The Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846-893 (selections)

Toccata in G major BWV 916

 

BALAKIREV

Islamey

 

BARTÓK

Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs Sz. 71

For Children Sz. 42, Book II

Out of Doors Sz. 81

Three Songs from Csík County Sz. 35a

Two Romanian Dances Sz. 43

 

BEETHOVEN

Bagatelles Op. 33

Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 2 No. 1

Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major Op. 7

Sonata No. 5 in C minor Op. 10 No. 1

Sonata No. 6 F major Op. 10 No. 2

Sonata No. 8 in C minor Op. 13

Sonata No. 15 in D major Op. 28 “Pastoral”

Sonata No. 17 in D minor Op. 31 No. 2

Sonata No. 22 in F major Op. 54

Sonata No. 23 in F minor Op. 57 “Appassionata”

Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major Op. 78

Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major Op. 81a

Sonata No. 27 in E minor Op. 90

Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”

Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major Op. 110

Variations in E-flat major Op. 35 “Eroica”

 

GEORGE BENJAMIN

Piano Figures (selections)

 

BERG

Sonata in B minor Op. 1

 

BOWEN

Concert Study in F major Op. 32

Concert Study in G-flat major Op. 9 No. 2

Fragments from Hans Andersen Opp. 58 & 61

Twelve Studies Op. 46

 

BRAHMS

Intermezzo in A major Op. 118 No. 2

Scherzo in E-flat minor Op. 4

Sonata No. 2 in F-sharp minor Op. 2

Three Intermezzi Op. 117

Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Op. 24

Variations on a Theme by Paganini Op. 35, Book I

 

CHOPIN

Andante spianato et grande polonaise brilliante Op. 22

Berceuse Op. 57

Etudes Op. 10 (selections)

Etudes Op. 25 (selections)

Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor Op. 66

Impromptu in A-flat major Op. 29

Impromptu in F-sharp major Op. 36

Impromptu in G-flat major Op. 51

Nocturne in B major Op. 32 No. 1

Nocturne in F-sharp major Op. 15 No. 2

Polonaise in F sharp minor Op. 44

Scherzo No. 1 in B minor Op. 20

Two Nocturnes Op. 27

Two Nocturnes Op. 62

 

DEBUSSY

Children’s Corner

Etudes (selections)

Preludes, Book 1

Preludes, Book 2 (selections)

 

DOHNÁNYI

Suite in the Old Style Op. 24 (selections)

 

DROZDOFF

Miniatures (selections)

Sonata No. 17 in E-flat minor

FAURÉ

Préludes Op. 103 (selections)

 

GLUCK

Melodie (arr. Sgambati)

 

GODOWSKY

Studies on Chopin’s Etudes (selections)

 

GOLDMARK

Georginen Op. 52 (selections)

 

HAYDN

Sonata in C minor Hob. XVI:20

 

NORIKO KOIDE

Hyssop

 

KURTÁG

Games (selections)

 

ALEXANDER LIEBERMANN

Gesänge

 

G. LIGETI

Études Book 1

    No. 5 Arc-en-ciel

Études Book 2

    No. 11 En suspense

    No. 13 L’escalier du diable

Études Book 3

 

L. LIGETI

Breathless (2023)

 

LISZT

Années de Pèlerinage

    Pastorale

    Vallée d’Obermann

    Les jeux d’eaux à la villa d’este

Études d’exécution transcendante S. 139

    No. 1 Preludio

    No. 3 Paysage

    No. 10 Appassionata

    No. 11 Harmonies du soir

    No. 12 Chasse-neige

Fantasy and Fugue on the Theme B-A-C-H

Funérailles from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses S. 173

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11

Totentanz S. 525

Scherzo and March S. 177

Schlummerlied mit Arabesken S. 454

Sonata in B minor S. 178

Variations on Bach’s “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen”

Zwei Konzertetüden S. 145

 

ALEXINA LOUIE

I leap through the sky with stars

 

MOZART

Fantasy in C minor K. 475

Rondo in A minor K. 511

Rondo in D major K. 485

Sonata in C minor K. 457

Sonata in E-flat major K. 282

 

NICOLAS NAMORADZE

Arabesque (2018)

Chorale Variations (2014)

Etudes I-VI (2015-2019)

Georgian Chorales and Postludes (2014)

Memories of Rachmaninoff’s “Georgian Song” (2022)

Moon: Refracted (2019)

 

PÄRT

Für Alina

Variationen zur Gesundung von Arinuschka

 

PROKOFIEV

Sonata No. 4 in C minor Op. 29

 

RAVEL

Miroirs

    Noctuelles

    Oiseaux Tristes

 

RACHMANINOFF

Adagio from Symphony No. 2 Op. 27 (arr. Namoradze)

Prelude Op. 23 No. 5

Prelude Op. 32 No. 4

Sonata no. 1 in D minor Op. 28

Vocalise Op. 34 No. 14 (arr. Kocsis)

 

JUAN MANUEL RUÍZ

Almenara

 

SATIE

Gymnopédies

 

SCARLATTI

Sonata in G minor K. 426

Sonata in G major K. 427

 

SCHUBERT

Hungarian Melody D. 817

Sonata in A major D. 959

Sonata in B-flat major D. 960

Sonata in A minor D. 784

Sonata in C minor D. 958

Sonata in G major D. 894

 

ROBERT SCHUMANN

Arabeske Op. 18

Fantasie Op. 17

Faschingsschwank aus Wien Op. 26

Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133

Humoreske in B-flat major Op. 20

Kinderszenen Op. 15

Novellette in F-sharp minor Op. 21 No. 8

Paganini Etude in C minor Op. 10 No. 4

Romance in F-sharp major Op. 28 No. 2

Symphonic Etudes Op. 13

Toccata Op. 7

Waldszenen Op. 82

 

SCRIABIN

Etudes Op. 8 (selections)

Etudes Op. 42

Fantasy in B minor Op. 28

Five Preludes Op. 74

Sonata No. 2 Op. 19

Sonata No. 4 Op. 30

Sonata No. 5 Op. 54

Sonata No. 9 Op. 68

Sonata No. 10 Op. 70

Two Pieces Op. 57

 

SHOSTAKOVICH

Prelude and Fugue in E minor Op. 87 No. 4

 

HARRY STAFYLAKIS

In Memory

 

WOLPE

Form IV

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Summary 

 

–  “Mindful recitals” are concerts that alternate musical performances with short discussions and mindfulness meditations.

–  These meditations are a cross between mindfulness and music appreciation, guiding the listener into a calm, aware and perceptive headspace with specific cues on how to listen to these works.

–  The recitals assume no prior knowledge of classical music or mindfulness on the listener’s part, presenting a welcoming, experiential approach to enhancing our listening.

–  Mindful recitals are an attractive offering to both new audiences discovering classical music—with its unique format that may be less intimidating than a standard recital—as well as to veteran concert goers looking for fresh perspectives on the listening experience.

–  These events combine music with education and wellness, a feature that is especially pertinent in the wake of the current pandemic.

–  For examples of this kind of content, visit IDAGIO Mindfulness.

 

Discussion

 

Mindful recitals are concerts that alternate musical performances with short mindfulness exercises and thought experiments. Each piece of music is preceded by a discussion and guided meditation that lasts a few minutes long. These meditations are a cross between mindfulness and music appreciation: they not only ease the listener into a calm, aware and perceptive state of mind, but also include cues about how to listen to the specific piece of music coming up, guiding the listener into a particular headspace to hear these works. 

 

Unlike a lecture-recital, which may rely on some understanding of music theory or history, these mindful recitals do not assume any prior knowledge. On the contrary, they encourage coming to the event with fresh ears, simply bringing one’s curiosity and attention. Rather than presenting primarily factual information on the works to enhance the listener’s experience, the mindful recital instead takes an experiential approach, honing of our awareness of a broader spectrum of our moment-to-moment experience to reveal new perspectives on the process of listening. 

 

As well as being designed for certain pieces of music, each of the meditations explore in turn various facets of the listening experience. The music they precede is thus carefully chosen to link to these concepts in certain ways. For an example of the kind of content presented and how it is linked to musical selections, please see the Mindful Listening Basics playlist on IDAGIO Mindfulness. The topics discussed in the mindful recitals include the nature of our awareness and attention, how we interpret of stories and dramatic narratives, the perception and conceptualization of musical textures, and the communication and internalization of emotional affect (see the sample program below for illustration). 

 

The process of listening to music is an ideal one for cultivating mindfulness and for developing a heightened quality of awareness. Mindfulness is also a powerful way for us to become better and more perceptive listeners, being more present for both the music we hear as well as our reaction to it. Therefore, the purpose of this kind of event is two-pronged, and each of these compliments and strengthens the other. As we become more mindful, we become better listeners, finding richer and more fulfilling experiences when listening to any kind music. As our skills of such listening develop, these in turn yield greater mindfulness both in our formal practice as well as in our daily lives. In essence, these events combine musical experiences with education and wellness—a feature that is especially pertinent in the wake of the current pandemic. 

 

Mindful recitals can be an attractive offering for many kinds of audiences. For those new to classical music, it presents a guide to the listening process and introduction to the genre without requiring any prior knowledge, in a welcoming format that may seem less intimidating than a recital. Seasoned concert goers on the other hand will find new perspectives on the listening experience. Accordingly, the content of the presentations can be adjusted depending on the event requirements and intended audience. For example, for audiences comprised largely of classical music lovers, the discussion can be geared more towards introducing and explaining mindfulness, with a greater emphasis on the neuroscience and psychology of both mindfulness and the listening experience. For events geared towards new listeners who attend out of an existing interest in meditation and mindfulness, the focus will be more on familiarizing the audience with the music. In any case, this formula can be adjusted per a discussion with the presenter. 

 

Sample program 

 

Bach-Busoni: “Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ” BWV 639 

Introduction to mindful listening 

Rachmaninoff-Kocsis: Vocalise 

Embodied awareness and the physiology of listening 

Bach: French Suite in D minor BWV 812 

Perspectives on visual and auditory imagination 

Bowen: Fragments from Hans Andersen Opp. 58 & 61, selections

Deconstructing sound and the perception of sonic layers 

Namoradze: Etude V, Entwined Threads 

Theories of emotion and mindfulness of feeling 

Rachmaninoff: Sonata No. 1 in D minor Op. 28, II: Lento 

DOWNLOAD SAMPLE PROGRAM LIST

 

The following programs are available for seasons 22/23 and 23/24. They can be adjusted according to the circumstances and requirements of an event—including several possible shorter versions. In addition, I can provide program notes for the recitals and present short discussions on the works, if needed, in several languages. 

I also currently present an alternative event type, a new concept called “mindful recitals” that intersperses performances with guided mindfulness meditations and discussions that explore various perspectives on the listening experience. More information on these kinds of events can be found in the section on mindful recitals. 

 

Program A 

 

Berg: Sonata in B minor Op. 1 (11’)
Bach: Prelude and Fugue in B minor BWV 869 from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I (13’) Namoradze: Etudes (selections) (8’)
Bach: Prelude and Fugue in F major BWV 856 from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I (2’) Beethoven: Sonata in F major Op. 54 (11’)
— intermission
Beethoven: Sonata in B-flat major Op. 106, “Hammerklavier” (41’) * 

 

This program revolves around the relationship between two musical forms, the sonata and fugue. The center of gravity is the “Hammerklavier”—arguably greatest marriage of these two genres. The palindromic first half presents various perspectives on the forms, flanked by two audacious takes on the sonata: Berg’s broodingly dramatic Op. 1 and Beethoven’s radically zany Op. 54. The fugal textures and contrapuntal passagework of my etudes pay a direct homage to their inspiration in selections from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, paired tonally with the adjacent works on the program. 

 

*An alternate to the Hammerklavier sonata is Schubert’s Sonata in B-flat major D960 (39’). With this configuration, the program culminates in another similarly monumental sonata of Viennese classicism. 

 

Program B 

 

Bach: The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 (selections) (8’)
Namoradze: Etudes (selections) (11’)
Bach-Rachmaninoff: Suite from Violin Partita No. 3, BWV 1006 (8’)

Rachmaninoff-Namoradze: Adagio from Symphony No. 2, Op. 27 (14’)

— intermission 

Bach: The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 (selections) (7’) 

Rachmaninoff: Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 (33’) 

 

Interrelated perspectives between Bach and Rachmaninoff, as well as those of my own, take center stage in this recital. The program presents three pairings of works, the first of each being a selection by Bach. In the opening pairing, some of my etudes are juxtaposed with excerpts from Bach’s The Art of Fugue, an important model for my approach to writing at the keyboard. The subsequent two works present more direct commentaries between composers with a pair of transcriptions. The second half returns to The Art of Fugue, paving the way for Rachmaninoff’s monumental Sonata No. 1, a work that also looks back on archaic contrapuntal forms—in particular via its textural layering of the medieval plainchant “Dies Irae.” 

 

Program C: Rachmaninoff 150 (2023) 

 

Bach-Rachmaninoff: Suite from Violin Partita No. 3, BWV 1006 (8’)

Rachmaninoff-Namoradze: Adagio from Symphony No. 2, Op. 27 (14’)

Rachmaninoff: Etudes-Tableaux (selection) (10’)
Namoradze: Etudes (selection) (11’) 

— intermission 

Namoradze: Memories of Rachmaninoff’s “Georgian Song” (4’)

Rachmaninoff: Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 (33’) 

 

This program centers on the work of Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose 150th birthday is celebrated in 2023, exploring some of my perspectives a pianist and composer on his music. The opening of the program shines a light on the composer both as a transcriber and one whose work is transcribed, exploring the question of how music intended for other instruments is brought to the piano. Various approaches on the etude genre are also presented, highlighting both influences and contrasts between Rachmaninoff’s celebrated Etudes-Tableaux and my own etudes. These are followed by a work of mine that recalls strains of one of his early songs—a deconstructed theme- and-variations, in a sense—before the final work of the program, Rachmaninoff’s titanic Sonata No. 1. 

 

Program D: Ligeti 100 (2023) 

 

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier (selections) (12’)

Ligeti: Etudes (selections) (19’)
Namoradze: Etudes (selections) (11’)
— intermission 

Schubert: Sonata in B-flat major D960 (39’) 

 

This program pays tribute to György Ligeti, whose 100th birthday we celebrate in 2023. The first half approaches his iconic piano etudes from both past and present: a selection of etudes is interspersed with excerpts from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, works central to the birth of the “keyboard study”, and some of my own etudes, pieces deeply inspired by Ligeti’s works in the genre. The second half presents Schubert’s final sonata, a work that Ligeti studied, played, and loved—a relationship immortalized by a photo of the composer playing the piano in his Hamburg home, with this sonata on the music stand. 

DOWNLOAD PROGRAMMING PHILOSOPHY

 

Here I describe some of the principles by which I create programs. For current program offerings, please see the separate document on recital programs. I also currently present an alternative event type, a new concept called “mindful recitals” that intersperses performances with guided mindfulness exercises and thought experiments that explore various perspectives on the listening experience. More information on these kinds of events can be found in a document on mindful recitals.

 

Overarching themes and narratives

 

“His beautifully considered program, delivered at Kapelle Gstaad, showcased his skills… Encores were finely judged.” — International Piano

 

I seek to build my programs around particular concepts, to present the audience a cohesive musical statement formulated in an engaging narrative. The works on the program are all selected in relation to this concept, rather than the program simply being an assemblage of works in my current repertoire. There are several themes it might revolve around. It can sometimes be a certain topic or musical motif, such as a current “Dies Irae” program: the two primary pillars of the recital are based on the medieval plainchant, Liszt’s Totentanz and Rachmaninoff’s Sonata No. 1. It could also be a certain form or genre, such as all-Etude recital programs I presented last season. In others, certain kinds of connections between works are highlighted, e.g. a program focused on unexpected cross-temporal relationships. Whatever the concept, the works are arranged so that they carry the listener on a clearly progressing journey from first note to last—and the choice of encores also generally adheres to this conception.

 

Juxtapositions and order

 

“The very first look at the program demonstrated the unusual mind of an artist who goes against the obvious… It was an intriguing and atypical idea that I salute.” — ConcertoNet

 

Beyond the selection of works, the order and pairing of works on the program plays a major role in how my programs are built. Sometimes, a compelling connection between two works may even be the starting point around which other pieces are selected. These pairings are often stark and radical, revealing connections in works in very different genres, styles, or time periods. For example, the program on cross-temporal relationships opened with Scriabin’s Sonata No. 9 followed directly by Bach’s F minor Sinfonia, highlighting features in the work of one composer typically associated with the other—in this case, the intricate polyphonic textures in Scriabin’s Sonata and the daring chromaticism of Bach’s brief Sinfonia. Such combinations shed new light on familiar works, encourage us to reconsider them with new perspectives.

 

Spacing and segues

 

“His choice to flow directly from the Scriabin into Bach’s Sinfonia No. 9 in F minor brilliantly illuminated the kind of continuity a perceptive mind can find.” — Blogcritics

 

A facet of recitals that I generally find under-explored is how we bridge the gap between works on the program. There is much potential in playing with how much time is left between pieces and whether one cuts the flow for applause. In virtually all my programs I explore such possibilities with the kinds of pairings described above, and they are usually facilitated by tonal connections. In the aforementioned Scriabin Sonata + Bach Sinfonia combination, I’d segue directly into the Bach following a several seconds of silence after the Scriabin, the final low F of the Scriabin Sonata opening the door to the low F with which the Bach Sinfonia commences. Pairings such as Bach’s D minor French Suite + my Etudes or selections from Bach’s Art of Fugue + Rachmaninoff’s Sonata No. 1 create similar effects. Sometimes, dramatic themes are also highlighted: in the “Dies Irae” program, the opening bass Fs of Liszt’s liturgically-inspired Totentanz emerge directly out of the final low chord with which Bach’s “Ich ruf zu dirr, Herr” (arr. Busoni) ends. The proximity of these tonal bridges and the tension of the silences which articulate them create a space that highlights the unique links between these works.

 

Familiar and unfamiliar

 

“Bowen is now all but forgotten, but his studies, written in 1919, are a fascinating blend of Romanticism and modernist experimentation. In this player’s hands they were riveting, each one brought out like a rabbit from a conjuror’s hat and allowed to run (very fast) wherever it liked.” — International Piano

 

I have always been fascinated by the lesser-known corners of the piano repertoire and thrilled by the sense of discovery when off the beaten path, and I am passionate about sharing this sense of discovery with audiences. Thus in my recitals I seek to present both known and unknown territory, juxtaposed in thought-provoking ways. For instance, in several recent recital programs the music of York Bowen was placed prominently, including works that had never been previously recorded and were being performed at those venues for the first time.

 

Original compositions

 

“Virtuosic works, [Namoradze Etude’s] evoked Ligeti’s Etudes, though much lighter in mood throughout. Engaging and brilliant, with names from Major Scales to Double Notes, they ironically suggested the theme of having fun during inevitable long practice sessions. But they also served as ample vehicles to demonstrate the composer’s wit along with digital prowess.” — Boston Musical Intelligencer

 

My profile as a composer is central to who I am as a musician, and most of my recital programs include my own works. These pieces are integrated into the recital programs in the manner described above; examples of pairings include my Arabesque with Schumann’s work of the same name, sets of my etudes with those by Scriabin or Bowen, and forthcoming programs include works by Rachmaninoff beside pieces of mine that are based on or relate to the composer’s music.