to perform complete piano works of
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG
Nov. 1, 7 pm: Miller Theatre, New York City (212.854.7799)*
Nov. 4, 4 pm: Reisinger Hall, Sarah Lawrence College (914.395.2411)
Nov. 7, 7:30 pm: Morphy Hall, Univ. of WI-Madison (608.263.9485)
Nov. 8, 8 pm: Eaton Chapel, Beloit College, Beloit, WI. (608.363.2372)
Nov. 13, 7:30 pm: Goethe Institut, Boston, MA. (617.262.6050)
*Multimedia presentation with Walter Frisch and Leonard Stein.
Drei Klavierstücke (pre-opus)
Drei Klavierstücke, Op. 11
Op. 11, No. 2, arr. Busoni
Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19
Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23
Suite für Klavier, Op. 25
Klavierstücke, Op. 33a, Op. 33b
In recognition of the fiftieth year since the composer's death, pianist
Marilyn Nonken will give a recital of Arnold Schoenberg's complete piano
music, including the rarely heard pre-opus Drei Klavierstücke (1896) and
Ferruccio Busoni's Romantic arrangement of Schoenberg's Op. 11, No. 2.
Ms. Nonken has a special connection to these works, having performed them
for her New York Debut. On that occasion, Bernard Holland of the New York
Times wrote, "her feeling for these pieces is so heartfelt, so sincere,
that one is constantly engaged." When Ms. Nonken performed Schoenberg's
Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19, Richard Buell of the Boston Globe
proclaimed, "The sky has fallen!" Ms. Nonken has also studied these pieces
with Leonard Stein, Schoenberg's erstwhile assistant.
Piano works were always pivotal in Schoenberg's compositional development.
His Op. 11 is widely acknowledged as the first completely atonal work.
Although the harmony eludes any tonal center, the densely referential
thematic material binds it together into a coherent and powerful whole. The
miniature forms of the Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19 do not hinder
their boldly expressive musicality, from the expressionistic and
fantastical first piece, to the sprightly second piece, to the solemn
conclusion, an aural depiction of the funeral bells tolling for Gustav
Mahler. While composing the Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23, Schoenberg abruptly
curtailed his work to solve a compositional problem. Several years later,
Schoenberg returned to the work, having developed the 12-tone system, a
compositional technique that would have wide-reaching implications for the
rest of the 20th century. Soon afterward, Schoenberg composed his Suite,
Op. 25, the first completely 12-tone composition. The Suite marked another
turning point for Schoenberg, in that he began composing in forms
associated with other eras. Although structured like a Baroque suite,
Schoenberg's piano piece was unmistakably and strikingly new. Schoenberg's
last two works for piano, Op. 33a and 33b, integrate the expressionist
surfaces of his older music with a distinctly Classical sense of formal
balance.
This recital promises to be an enlightening evening of some of the most
important piano music in the Classical canon performed by one of the most
gifted young musicians specializing in 20th-century music.
Marilyn Nonken, heralded as "pianist from music's leading edge" by the New
York Times and three times named "Best of Year" by the Boston Globe (1997,
1999, 2000), has gained considerable recognition for her performances of
modern and contemporary music. She has been presented at numerous venues
including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Miller Theatre, the
Krannert Center, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Musikakademie Rheinsberg.
Composers who have written for her include Milton Babbitt, Mario
Davidovsky, Jason Eckardt, Michael Finnissy, Jeff Nichols, Tristan Murail,
and David Rakowski. She has recorded for New World, Koch, and Lovely Music,
with solo discs forthcoming on Metier and Mode. Her solo CD, American
Spiritual, is available on CRI (877).
For more information contact:
Ensemble 21 Artists
500 West 111th Street, #3E, New York, NY 10025
tel/fax: 212-663-5191
e-mail: info@ensemble21.com
web: www.ensemble21.com
