Great Artists Series: Jonathan Biss, piano

Program:

"Late Style"

Schumann - Gesänge der Frühe, Op. 133
Kurtág Játékok - Selections from Volume VII
Chopin - Polonaise-Fantasie, Op. 61
Brahms - Sonata in F minor, Op. 5, second movement
                        Klavierstücke, Op. 119
                       Klavierstücke, Op. 118

About the Program:

Following on the immeasurable success of his immersive series Schumann: Under the Influence, Biss delves into a composer’s final years in a series of concerts, authoritative writing, and exploratory panels. From Jonathan Biss: “The question of “late style” has long been of interest to writers and philosophers, from Adorno to Said. What effect do years of accumulated knowledge and experience, combined with, perhaps, the realization that death is near, have on artistic creation? The question is particularly fascinating with music, first of all because it is abstract, and therefore its “subject matter” is more difficult to discern than is the case with literature, but mostly because a remarkable number of composers moved in surprising directions in their last years. Over five centuries, composers whose late periods came as early as their 30s or as late as their 80s have found new forms of expression as they approached the ends of their lives. Still more interesting, the change is not consistent from composer to composer: some become more concise, others more expansive. Some become fixated on death, others find an almost child-like innocence. Some composers wrote their most adventurous music in their late periods, and others pursued an extreme simplicity. These new directions are the subject of the four concerts that make up this project.”

Biography: