Jeremy Denk’s recital tour kicks into high gear
Jeremy Denk’s far-reaching season kicks into high gear in the coming weeks when he makes his solo debut at Boston’s Jordan Hall (March 2) and returns to the main stage of New York’s Carnegie Hall (March 22), as two stops on a 13-city recital tour with a program of works by Bartók, Liszt, Bach, and Beethoven. The final piece on the program, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111, can be heard on Denk’s first release for the Nonesuch label, which was named one of the best discs of 2012 by the New Yorker, NPR, and the Washington Post. Described as “a quintessential 21st-century performer” (Washington Post), the pianist also has chamber and concerto dates on the horizon, as well as a number of master classes.
Denk made his solo debut on the main stage of Carnegie Hall in March 2011, substituting for Maurizio Pollini. In his New York Times review of the recital, which featured an epic pairing of Ives’s “Concord Sonata” and Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Anthony Tommasini observed, “Mr. Denk embraced the moment, played splendidly and won a standing ovation.” Bach’s music has been a key focus for the pianist throughout his career and the iconic Goldberg Variations have been especially close to his heart. Denk’s thoughts on the work were famously recorded in a blog post for NPR Music entitled “Why I Hate the ‘Goldberg Variations’.” Following Denk’s “Goldberg” performances in Philadelphia in December, Inquirer music critic Peter Dobrin found his playing “mesmerizing,” noting: “His Bach is expressive, but not fussy or overthought.” Last month, Denk turned to the “Goldbergs” again, this time in the recording studio, for what will be his second release on the Nonesuch label.
Denk continues to receive critical acclaim not only for his challenging and provocative recital programs and recordings, but also for his frequent and colorful writing. Described by the New Yorker’s Alex Ross as “simply one of the most interesting writers I know,” the pianist has long received high praise for writing his own liner notes, as well as his blog, Think Denk. The past year also saw his writing published in Newsweek, the New Yorker and the New York Times. More recently, Denk put down his thoughts on Bach in a review of Paul Elie’s book, Reinventing Bach, for the December 6 issue of the New Republic. The feature is the pianist’s first for the magazine and is available online here.
Earlier this season Denk made his debut recital at London’s Wigmore Hall; performed Bach’s complete set of six keyboard concertos (BWV 1052–57) in a single evening with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and played Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 with the symphony orchestras of Toronto and San Diego, as well as with the Oberlin Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
More information on Denk’s upcoming engagements can be found below, and further details are available on his web site, jeremydenk.net.
Jeremy Denk: recital program, winter/spring 2013
Bartók: Piano Sonata, Sz. 80
Liszt: Prelude after “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen” by J.S. Bach, S. 179
Liszt: “Sonetto 123 del Petrarca” from Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième année, S. 161
Liszt: Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata
Liszt: “Isoldens Liebestod” from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, S. 447
J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in B minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, BWV 869
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Jeremy Denk: upcoming engagements
Feb 27
Austin, TX
University of Texas at Austin
Bass Concert Hall
Recital
March 2
Boston, MA
Celebrity Series of Boston
Jordan Hall
Recital (debut)
March 9
Santa Barbara, CA
University of California at Santa Barbara
Campbell Hall
Recital
March 12
La Jolla, CA
Auditorium of TSRI
Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat, Op. 97 (“Archduke”)
March 13
Fresno, CA
Fresno Concert Hall (East Music Building)
Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concerts
Recital
March 16
Morrow, GA
Spivey Hall at Clayton State University
Recital
March 19
Rochester, NY
Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music
Recital
March 20
Harrisburg, PA
Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
Market Square Concerts
Recital
March 22
New York, NY
Carnegie Hall (Isaac Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage)
Recital
March 23
Richmond, VA
Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall at VCU’s W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts
Recital
March 24
Blacksburg, VA
Lyric Theatre
Recital
March 28
Savannah, GA
Lucas Theater
Savannah Music Festival
Recital
April 6 & 7
Las Cruces, NM
NMSU Atkinson Music Recital Hall
Beethoven: Concerto for violin, cello, and piano in C, Op. 56 (“Triple” Concerto)
With Stefan Jackiw (violin) and Edward Arron (cello)
April 11
Madison, WI
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mills Hall
Recital
April 14
Aliso Viejo, CA
Soka Performing Arts Center
Recital
May 4
New York, NY
Carnegie Hall (Isaac Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage)
With Renée Fleming and the Emerson String Quartet
May 30 – June 1
Washington, DC
Kennedy Center, Concert Hall
National Symphony Orchestra / John Adams
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G
June 6 & 7
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Slovenian Philharmonic / Keri-Lynn Wilson
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G
June 15 – 18
Southfield, MI
Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival
June 28 & 29
Purchase, NY
Performing Arts Center – Purchase College
Westchester Philharmonic / Tito Munoz
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
jeremydenk.net
facebook.com/JeremDenkOfficial
jeremydenk.net/blog
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© 21C Media Group, February 2013