Brian Ganz PianoTalk

St. Mary's College of MD Musician-in-Residence Brian Ganz will continue his popular noon PianoTalk series live and in person on Monday, November 22 at 12pm.  He will present an episode of "Musical Gardening," in which he plays early works of Romantic composer Fryderyk Chopin and follows them with more mature works in the same genre, demonstrating the composer's growth process. This episode will feature polonaises, beginning with the virtually unknown Polonaise in D minor, Op. 71, No. 1 and culminating in the great "Heroic" Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53. The PianoTalk, which will take place in the Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary's Hall on the college campus, is free and open to all who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Off-campus visitors must be able to present proof of vaccination upon request by College officials when attending indoor events. If campus visitors are not vaccinated or cannot show proof of vaccination, they must present proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of arrival to campus. Face coverings must be always worn indoors. 

"I'm very excited to be able to share unknown works of Chopin," pianist Ganz said recently. "Chopin is probably the most beloved composer of piano music who ever lived, and yet there are works of his that even Chopin lovers do not know at all. His Polonaise in D minor, Op. 71, No. 1 is such a work. I'll talk about its charms, play it, and then explore his transformation into the genius who composed the blockbusters like the A major Polonaise, Op. 40, No. 1 and the great 'Heroic.' Then I'll play those perennial favorites too."

Ganz has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the National Philharmonic, the Baltimore and the National Symphonies, the City of London Sinfonia, and L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. He has performed in many of the world’s major concert halls and has played under the baton of such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman, Jerzy Semkow and Yoel Levi.  A critic for La Libre Belgique wrote of Ganz’s work: “We don’t have the words to speak of this fabulous musician who lives music with a generous urgency and brings his public into a state of intense joy.”