Seasons: Cliburn at the Bass

Beethoven at 250: The Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5

To kick off 2020—which will be a yearlong, international celebration of the iconic composer’s 250th birthday—this very special Cliburn at the Bass will present each of Beethoven’s five piano concertos, in order. One day, two concerts, five spectacular pianists, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya, in the midst of his final season as the orchestra’s music director. It’s the definition of a do-not-miss event.

GEORGE LI–Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, op. 58

“A bracing, fearless account…Mr. Li’s playing combined youthful abandon with utter command.”— The New York Times

As a child prodigy, American pianist George Li made his recital debut in Boston’s Steinway Hall and, in 2011, performed for President Obama in an evening honoring German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He has since emerged as a formidable pianist, rapidly establishing a major international career across three continents after his sensational 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition silver medal win. Also recipient of the 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, 2012 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and 2010 Young Concert Artists first prize, the pianist makes his North Texas debut in this concert.

 TILL FELLNER–Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73

“His playing was all Apollonian grace… remarkable in its clarity, musicality, and feline virtuosity”— The Boston Globe

Hailed for “natural ease, eloquence and impeccable artistry” (The Times), Austrian pianist Till Fellner has performed in the world’s leading concert halls and with the most revered conductors. He is particularly well-regarded for his sophisticated readings of Bach and Beethoven alongside music of the modern Viennese school. Among other major projects, the protégé of Alfred Brendel has recorded the Beethoven Fourth and Fifth—which he performs for us—Concertos with Kent Nagano and presented the cycle of 32 Beethoven piano sonatas in New York, Washington, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Vienna.

 

PROGRAM BOOK

GENERAL CONCERT INFORMATION

Patrons must be 8 years of age or older to attend Cliburn Concerts.

For questions about ticketing please contact the Bass Hall Box Office at 817.212.4280.

For information on parking please visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/parking/

Photography and recording are strictly prohibited.

CLIBURN CONCERTS
2019–2020 CLIBURN CONCERTS LISTING  I  CLIBURN AT THE BASS

Beethoven at 250: The Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, 3

To kick off 2020—which will be a yearlong, international celebration of the iconic composer’s 250th birthday—this very special Cliburn at the Bass will present each of Beethoven’s five piano concertos, in order. One day, two concerts, five spectacular pianists, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya, in the midst of his final season as the orchestra’s music director. It’s the definition of a do-not-miss event.

JOYCE YANG– Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, op. 15
2005 Cliburn Silver Medalist

“Her attention to detail and clarity is as impressive as her agility, balance and velocity.” — The Washington Post

She first came to international attention in 2005 when, at 19, she took home the Cliburn silver medal, along with special prizes for best chamber music and new work. Seoul-born Joyce Yang has since made over 1,000 concert appearances in the world’s prestigious venues and with the New York, Los Angeles, and BBC Philharmonic Orchestras, the Deutsches-Orchester Berlin, and the Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Sydney, and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras. She’s also a Grammy-nominated recording artist praised for her “imaginative programming” and “beautifully atmospheric playing” (Gramophone).

DAVID FRAY–Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, op. 19

“Exquisite, imaginative, and virtuosic… an extraordinary balance between the head and heart, between technical rigor and poetry.” — The Epoch Times

French pianist David Fray’s 2014 Cliburn Concerts debut was hailed as “revelatory…he didn’t drop our interest for even a moment” (Theater Jones). A distinctive voice in classical music, his star has continued to rise with performances across Europe, North America, and Asia and collaborations with the world’s leading orchestras. Additional recognition has come in the form of several prizes: Newcomer of the Year (BBC Music magazine), ECHO Klassik Prize for Instrumentalist of the Year (German Recording Academy), and Record of the Year (The Times in England and Le Soir in Belgium).

JON NAKAMATSU–Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37 
1997 Cliburn Gold Medalist

“This American pianist has stunning technical control and can do anything at the piano he wants.”— The New York Times

Formerly a high school German teacher with no formal conservatory training, Jon Nakamatsu exploded onto the international scene at the 1997 Cliburn Competition and since has maintained a reputation for performances of panache and elegance. An audience favorite across the country, he has been profiled by CBS Sunday Morning and Reader’s Digest, performed for President and Secretary Clinton, and has an acclaimed discography including one recording that sat atop Billboard’s classical charts for nearly six months and another selected as a recording of the year by The New York Times.

 

PROGRAM BOOK

 

GENERAL CONCERT INFORMATION

Patrons must be 8 years of age or older to attend Cliburn Concerts.

For questions about ticketing please contact the Bass Hall Box Office at 817.212.4280.

For information on parking please visit https://www.basshall.com/plan-your-visit/parking/

Photography and recording are strictly prohibited.

CLIBURN CONCERTS
2019–2020 CLIBURN CONCERTS LISTING  I  CLIBURN AT THE BASS

CLIBURN laureates + RACHMANINOV

Fei-Fei 2013 finalist – Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Yeol Eum Son 2009 silver medalist – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, op. 18
Daniel Hsu 2017 bronze medalist – Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, op. 30

with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
and Eugene Tzigane conductor

At this one-night-only event, witness a spectacular that is rarely seen on the Bass Hall stage outside of the Cliburn Competition: the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra joins three extraordinary pianists for three iconic concertos—all Rachmaninov—in one night.

FEI-FEI

Fei-Fei was named winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition just a year after her 2013 Cliburn finalist finish. Her burgeoning career includes a number of prominent engagements with orchestra, in recital, and as a member of the Aletheia Piano Trio, which debuted at the Kennedy Center in 2014. Deeply committed to sharing her joy for music and connecting with communities, she also engages students and community audiences through frequent school and outreach concerts and master classes.

YEOL EUM SON

Yeol Eum Son followed her 2009 Cliburn success with another second prize win at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011. She’s performed around the world, recently appearing with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, and NHK Symphony Orchestra; and has six unique recording projects, including a 2018 release with Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Sir Neville Marriner. Having achieved great fame in her native South Korea, she is an honorary ambassador of the Seoul Arts Center and her home city of Wonju.

DANIEL HSU

Characterized by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “poet…[with] an expressive edge to his playing that charms, questions, and coaxes,” Daniel Hsu took home the 2017 Cliburn bronze medal as well as prizes for best performance of the commissioned work and chamber music. Also a 2016 Gilmore Young Artist, first prize winner of the 2015 CAG Victor Elmaleh Competition, and bronze medalist of the 2015 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, he has performed around the world, including recent debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall. He also graduates this spring from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he has been a student since the age of 10.