Location: The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Pianist Marc-André Hamelin, a “performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” (The New York Times), is equally renowned for both the brilliant technique he applies to the great works of the classical repertoire and his adventurous exploration with lesser heard gems from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Hamelin’s Clarice Presents recital begins with one of his signature performance pieces, Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29. Better known as the “Hammerklavier,” this immensely challenging 45-minute masterpiece is a spectacular showcase for Hamelin's stunning technical skill. Hamelin then moves on to Robert Schumann's underheard nine-movement cycle, Waldszenen, Op. 82. A haunting and robustly romantic journey through a woodland landscape, these nuanced forest scenes offer a mysterious glimpse into the troubled mind of a famed composer nearing the end of his too-short career. The performance concludes with Maurice Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit. This triptych of poetic fables features lyrical passages and profound harmonies. Don’t miss Marc-André Hamelin’s performance with the UMD Symphony Orchestra on October 10.
Presented by Clarice Presents.