Performers
Denis Matsuev, Piano

Program
SCHUMANN Kinderszenen
RACHMANINOFF Variations on a Theme of Corelli
CHOPIN Ballade No. 4 in F Minor
TCHAIKOVSKY Méditation, Op. 72, No. 5
PROKOFIEV Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major

The Los Angeles Times wrote that Denis Matsuev is a “virtuoso in the tradition of Gilels, Richter, or Horowitz,” and this is a program that demands a master’s exalted pianism. Schumann’s miniatures are delicate adult reflections on childhood that require playing of nuanced tenderness, while Chopin’s Ballade No. 4 is no less expressive, but more technically complex and theatric. There is drama in Prokofiev’s gripping wartime sonata as well—a work noteworthy for its blazing outer movements and lyrical Andante.