FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 18 December 2018
COPI Steinway Piano Series presents MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius Grant’ recipient Jeremy Denk Jan. 13
By Zachary C. Person
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Pianist Jeremy Denk performs at Oregon State University as part of the Corvallis-OSU Piano International Steinway Piano Series at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 13 in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis.
Denk is one of the foremost American pianists on today’s concert scene. He was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (a.k.a. the “Genius Grant”) in 2013, an Avery Fisher Career Prize in 2014 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016. He is a graduate of Oberlin College, Indiana University and the Juilliard School.
During recent concert seasons Denk has performed as a soloist across North America with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra. International solo engagements have included soloist engagements with the Helsinki Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the City of Birmingham Symphony and many others.
Ludwig v. Beethoven’s “Five Variations on ‘Rule Brittania’ in D Major” opens the concert. Though well known today, the “Rule Brittania” theme was much more obscure in the early 19th century. Beethoven’s curiosity about British culture also spurred the composition of his earlier “Variations on God Save the King” for piano and “Wellington’s Victory, Op. 91” for orchestra a decade later.
“I Still Play” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams follows. The inclusion of the five-minute piece is a clever nod towards Denk’s now-famous recording of J.S. Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” on Nonesuch Records. The work was written in celebration of Nonesuch president Bob Hurwitz upon his retirement. Hurwitz is a trained pianist who “still plays” and Adams set a series of short variations on a harmonic progression that acknowledges both Hurwitz’s love of the “Goldberg Variations” and the triumph of Denk’s recording under his watch at Nonesuch.
Two more variation-oriented works follow: Georges Bizet’s “Variations chromatiques” and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Variations sérieuses,” Op. 54. Both works were inspired by Beethoven: Bizet’s variations are a homage to his love of Beethoven’s 32 Variations in C minor; the Mendelssohn was composed as part of a campaign raising funds for a commission of a statue honoring Beethoven in his hometown of Bonn, Germany.
Franz Liszt’s transcription of Beethoven’s “An die ferne Geliebte (To the distant beloved)” and Ralph Schumann’s “Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17” close the program. The Schumann is based on a theme from “An die ferne Geliebte” and like Mendelssohn’s Op. 54 was composed as part of the campaign raising funds for the statue honoring Beethoven.
Tickets $25 in advance, $28 door. Advance tickets are available online at corvallispiano.org or locally at Grass Roots Books & Music. Youth ages 8-18 and all college students with valid ID admitted free. CAFA discounts apply, valid for purchase of up to two $5 tickets at The LaSells Stewart Center starting one hour prior to the concert with SNAP card. Accommodations relating to a disability may be made by calling 541-758-0036, preferably at least one week in advance.
-30-
About Corvallis-OSU Piano International: Corvallis-OSU Piano International furthers the appreciation and celebration of piano music and performance in our community by providing high-quality performances, outreach opportunities and educational programs. COPI presents the Steinway Piano Series, an annual concert series featuring world-class performers. Children’s concerts, master classes, lectures and a jazz series also serve as part of a mission to bring people together in a culture of piano through performance, education and advocacy.