This preview has been provided by Duke Performances.

 

Leonard Bernstein protégé André Watts will perform an evening of solo piano compositions by Franz Liszt in honor of the composer’s centenary on Saturday, December 3, at 8 pm in Page Auditorium on Duke University’s West Campus.   

Since André Watts, at the young age of 16, filled in one night for an ailing Glenn Gould to perform Liszt’s E-flat concerto with the New York Philharmonic, his reputation as one of the great pianists of his generation has been set. 

Watts’ career since then easily fulfills that early promise.  He is a regular guest at major summer music festivals including Ravinia, the Hollywood Bowl, Saratoga, Tanglewood and the Mann Music Center. He has appeared regularly with the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics with international tours in Japan, Germany, and Spain.

His extensive discography includes recordings of works by Gershwin, Chopin, Liszt, and Tchaikovsky for CBS Masterworks; recital CDs of works by Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, and Chopin for Angel/EMI; and recordings featuring the concertos of Liszt, MacDowell, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens on the Telarc label.  He is also featured in the Great Pianists of the 20th Century series for Philips.

Currently Watts serves as a professor of piano at Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. 

Concert Program:

LISZT: Étude de Concert No. 3, “Un Sospiro”
LISZT: Les Jeux d’eau a la Villa d’Este
LISZT: Piano Sonata in B Minor
LISZT: Bagatelle ohne Tonart
LISZT: Nuages Gris
LISZT: En Rêve
LISZT: La Lugubre Gondola No. 2
LISZT: Schlaflos, Frage und Antwort
LISZT: Étude No. 2 in E Flat Major, from Six Grand Études de Paganini
LISZT: Transcendental Étude No. 10 in F Minor
LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A Minor

In addition to the concert, Watts will participate in a public discussion with Duke professor Anthony Kelley on Saturday, December 3, at 12 pm in the Nelson Music Room on Duke’s East Campus.  Watts and Kelley will discuss Watts’ all-Liszt program for the Saturday evening recital.  This event is free and open to the public. 

Duke Performances’ Piano Recital Series, now in its fourth year, consistently features world-class musicians performing the best of the classical repertoire.  This year’s season features — in addition to André Watts — Simone Dinnerstein (Jan. 20), Garrick Ohlsson (Mar. 16), and closes with the extraordinary Richard Goode (Apr. 19). 

Garrick Ohlsson will also perform an all-Liszt concert; however, there will be no overlap between the Watts and Ohlsson programs. 

Tickets available by contacting the University Box Office by phone at 919-684-4444 or in person in the top level of Duke’s Bryan Center on West Campus, Monday to Friday, 11 am to 6 pm.  Tickets also available online at www.dukeperformances.org.