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Classical pianist Ganz to play tomorrow (April 25, 2014)

Brian Ganz, Pianist
Brian Ganz, widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation, will offer a solo recital of Chopin and Debussy April 25 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis.

On Friday, April 25 at 8 pm pianist Brian Ganz will give a solo recital entitled “The Sound of Light and Water–Music of Frederic Chopin and Claude Debussy.” Among the works of Debussy he will perform are Homage à Rameau from Images, The Engulfed Cathedral and The Hills of Anacapri from the first book of preludes. From Chopin’s works he will play the Barcarolle, the Nocturne in F# Major op. 15 no. 2, and the “Black Key” Etude. The concert will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 333 Dubois Road. Tickets are $15 at the door. For more information visit www.uuannapolis.org or call 410-266-8044.

Ganz is known for his ability to explain the intricacies of the music he performs for his audiences. “The Homage à Rameau is a work that illustrates Debussy’s love of the various modal scales. Each modal scale has a flavor of sound which can be expressed as a shade of light,” said Ganz.  He will demonstrate this phenomenon in some detail, so listeners will gain an understanding of Debussy’s genius for light and color in sound. Ganz added, “No composer has equaled Debussy’s skill for representing water in sound. The Engulfed Cathedral tells a story of the legendary city of Ys, which was visited by devastating floods. The cathedral rose from the waters periodically, and Debussy tells the story in vivid and evocative sound.”

Chopin’s Barcarolle is a boat song that calls to mind Venetian gondolas under a brilliant Mediterranean sun. Observers may notice that all of the works of Chopin Ganz will play are in the key of F# major (or it’s equivalent G-flat major). Ganz added, “For Chopin this was a radiant key, and works in that key are perfect for an evening about the sound of light. I intend the evening to be a feast for all the senses as channeled through sound.”

Ganz, widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation, began his “Extreme Chopin” quest to perform all of Frédéric Chopin’s works three years ago. His sold out recital at the Music Center at Strathmore launched Ganz’s ambitious endeavor to perform the approximately 250 works of Chopin over the next decade.  The next concerts in the series will take place at Strathmore on February 7 and 8, 2015..

This program is the second in a year-long ticketed concert series offered monthly on the 4th Fridays at 8PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (UUCA). A 5 concert series ticket can be obtained at the door for $60. The series is presented by Brian Ganz and Friends, and UUCA to benefit the church’s work.  The May 23 concert will feature the elegant singer Sara Jones offering lush jazz vocals as she performs with musical friends; poet Michael Glaser will join Ganz on June 25 for “An Evening with the Muse: Poetry and Music in Praise of what is Sacred.” (See www.uuannapolis.org  for future programming).

Ganz is a laureate of the Marguerite Long Jacques Thibaud and the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Piano competitions. He has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony, the National Philharmonic, the National Symphony and the City of London Sinfonia, and has performed with such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Mstislav Rostropovich and Piotr Gajewski.

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