Brian Ganz Piano Recital

On Tuesday, January 23, St. Mary’s College of MD Musician-in-Residence Brian Ganz will give a special full preview of his upcoming all-Chopin recital at the Music Center at Strathmore. The recital will be held in the Auerbach Auditiorium of St. Mary’s Hall on the college campus, and will begin at 8pm. The program is entitled “Chopin’s Hidden Gems and All Time Favorites,” and will group little known works of Chopin with perennial favorites, revealing surprising connections between them. 

“At first glance this program will look like a grab bag of disconnected works, some of them completely unknown and some from Chopin’s ‘top 40’,” Ganz recently stated. “On closer examination some interesting themes and connections appear, and we’ll explore those connections throughout the evening. For example, I’ll play some little known etudes that address two tricky rhythmic challenges,” he continued. “Then I’ll play the beloved Fantaisie-Impromptu, which employs both tricky rhythms! I’ll even teach the audience how to clap one of the tricky rhythms. We’ll have some fun with that.” Ganz will play his 8th recital in his “Extreme Chopin” quest at the Strathmore Music Center on February 10 at 8pm. He is now entering the second half of his multi-year journey through the complete works of Chopin, a project he has undertaken in partnership with the National Philharmonic. He began the quest, which the pianist calls a “dream come true,” at Strathmore in January of 2011 in a sold out recital that launched the ambitious endeavor to perform the composer’s approximately 250 works. After the inaugural recital, The Washington Post wrote: “Brian Ganz was masterly in his first installment of the complete works [of Chopin].”