The second week of December will be a busy one for lovers of piano music in the St. Mary’s College of Maryland community, with three free concerts. The music department will present students of Brian Ganz in their end-of-the-semester recital of solo piano music on Tuesday, December 7 at 8 p.m.
The recital will feature the music of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and others. On the following day, Wednesday, December 8 at 3 p.m., Ganz will offer his final PianoTalk of the semester. He will perform and discuss the beloved Pathétique Sonata of Beethoven and the works by Debussy and Ravel.
Finally, on the following day, Thursday, December 9 at 12 p.m., Ganz will join his students in a recital of collaborative works for multiple pianists and for voice and piano, including several movements of Gustav Holst’s great orchestral work “The Planets” arranged for two pianos by the composer himself.
All three recitals will take place in Room 25 of Montgomery Hall on the College’s campus. All concerts are free and open to the public. The public is requested to note the times of the three concerts carefully. For more information call (240) 895-4498 or visit http://bit.ly/2YCPDKS
“I’m very excited about this upcoming week of concerts,” pianist Ganz said. “The students have worked hard over the past 20 months but have had very little opportunity to perform live. That makes every piece, every phrase, and even every note a little more meaningful, a little more special. For example, Holst’s “The Planets” is one of my very favorite works for orchestra. I think the students feel the same, and we were thrilled to discover the version for two pianos and very eager to learn it together. And there will be much, much more!”