The Moss Arts Center will present a program of rich and extraordinary classical works performed by Sir Andras Schiff, one of music’s most revered pianists, Thursday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m.
The program will include works by Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann in a multi-camera stream recently recorded in front of a live audience in St. Peter’s Church in Zurich, Switzerland. Ticket holders will have access to the streamed performance as it happens, and for seven days following the event.
Schiff is known for his affinity for Beethoven’s sonatas, and in this recital he performs two of them: the dramatic, turbulent Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2, “Tempest” and Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a, “Les Adieux.” Beloved for its themes of farewell and absence, including the musical theme of a horn that signaled arrivals and departures, “Les Adieux” is an expressive, emotional work that ends with an exuberant reunion.
The evening recital will also feature Bach’s “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue” in D minor, BWV 903, and “Capriccio on the Departure of his Beloved Brother,” BWV 992.
Schiff’s encore profoundly connects to the rest of the program: Schumann’s magical “Arabeske” in C major, Op. 18, delivers beautiful flourishes that change when seen through the differing shadows cast by the intervening passages.
According to The Washington Post, “To attend an András Schiff recital is to enter a secular temple to music.” A world-renowned pianist, conductor, pedagogue, and lecturer, Schiff has inspired music critics and audiences with the masterful and intellectual approach he brings to each piece he performs. Born in Budapest, Hungary, Schiff studied piano at the Liszt Ferenc Academy with Pál Kadosa, György Kurtág, and Ferenc Rados; and in London with George Malcom.
Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for Virginia Tech students. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center’s box office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
