Performer
Denis Matsuev, Piano

It takes a pianist with “epic technique … superhuman speed, power, and agility” (The Boston Globe) to successfully embrace Liszt’s flash and Stravinsky’s high-octane excitement. Denis Matsuev is just the artist. Liszt’s Sonata unfolds in one massive movement with a deliriously virtuosic central section and whispering finale, while his Mephisto Waltz No. 1 is a rollicking showpiece. Stravinsky’s piano transcriptions of the “Russian Dance,” “Pétrouchka’s Room,” and “Shrovetide Fair” from his great ballet are stunning showpieces that also make daunting technical demands of the performer.

Program
LISZT Piano Sonata in B Minor
LISZT Mephisto Waltz No. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY Dumka in C Minor, Op. 59
STRAVINSKY Three Movements from Pétrouchka