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Pianist Brian Ganz will offer Annapolis the last free preview of his January 22 Strathmore concert on Saturday, Jan. 8 at7:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, 333 Dubois Road. Ganz will perform excerpts from his scheduled January 22 solo concert at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland where he will begin his quest to perform all of Frédéric Chopin’s 250 works.
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On January 8 Ganz will whet the appetite of Chopin lovers by performing some of Chopin's earliest compositions (including some composed at the age of seven) as well as a selection of his more mature works. Ganz will then discuss the nuanced differences in the Chopin's style as he matured and take questions from the audience. The evening will conclude with a hosted reception during which guests can meet the pianist. For more information call 301-904-3690.
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“Chopin's music is the language of my soul, and I have dreamed since childhood of someday performing all of his works,” said Ganz, who is widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation.
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In preparation for the January 22 concert at Strathmore, Ganz and members of the National Philharmonic are researching the question of whether every work has ever been performed before by a single pianist in a series. “Of course, the important thing is not whether I'm the first to do this. I'm excited to share works with Chopin lovers that they may never have heard before,” Ganz said.
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Ganz will perform Chopin's orchestral works with the National Philharmonic, led by
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Music Director and Conductor Piotr Gajewski, who has em aced the pianist's ambitious endeavor wholeheartedly. “Brian is the perfect pianist to play all of Chopin's works – not only because of his great love for the composer, but also because of his intense connection with his audience,” Gajewski said. “Brian's playing exudes incredible warmth and openness. He demonstrates an uncommon eagerness to idge the distance between artist and audience.”
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Ganz's recordings have been released on the Accord label in Paris. He has begun a project with Maestoso Records to record the complete works of Chopin and has also recorded on the Gailly label in Belgium. In addition, he has been named an artist/editor for the Schirmer Performance Editions, which has already published his Chopin Preludes.
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“There isn't much about Chopin that Brian Ganz doesn't know,” The Washington Post has written. “The pianist has explored the nocturnes, the etudes, the sonatas and concertos and the rest in concerts, master classes and recordings for years now. His delight and wonder in this music seems to grow, apparently without bounds, as time goes on.”
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Ganz has performed as a soloist with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the City of London Sinfonia and Paris's L'Orchestre Lamoureux and under the direction of conductors such as Leonard Slatkin and Mstislav Rostropovich.
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He is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Leon Fleisher. Gifted as a teacher himself, Ganz is a member of the piano faculty and Artist-in-Residence at St. Mary's College of Maryland. He also serves on the piano faculty of the Peabody Conservatory. He has served on the jury of the Long Thibaud Competition in Paris.
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To purchase tickets to Brian Ganz's Chopin concert on January 22, 2011 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, please visit nationalphilharmonic.org or call the Strathmore ticket office at (301) 581-5100. Tickets are $34-$44; children ages seven to17 are FREE through the ALL KIDS, ALL FREE, ALL THE TIME program (sponsored by The Gazette). ALL KIDS tickets must be purchased in person or by phone. Parking is free.
What's Up? spoke with Brian Ganz earlier about the Strathmore Project, read more here.
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Also attached is a photo of Ganz discussing Chopin at his first Annapolis concert on December 11 with (from left to right in front row) Alan and Ginger Adams of Annapolis, Patti and Dennis LaRaja of Sterling Va. and Liz and Bryan Barnett of Annapolis (photo credit- Marc Apter)
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