Piano enthusiasts will delight in the lineup for Union’s 36th International Festival of Chamber Music, which opens the season Thursday, Oct. 11, with renowned pianist Richard Goode performing at 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.
Acknowledged as one of the leading interpreters of Beethoven and Mozart, Goode has been hailed for his emotional expressiveness, depth and sensitivity. He has played throughout the world as a recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral soloist. His many awards include the Avery Fisher Prize and a Grammy with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.
Tonight he will perform Chopin’s Impromptu in F-sharp, Op. 36, three mazurkas, the Nocturne in B, Op. 62, No. 1 and the Polonaise in f-sharp, Op. 44. He also will perform two preludes and fugues from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, and the four sinfonias; Debussy’s three preludes; and Haydn’s Sonata in D.
Goode is a founding member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and is currently co-artistic director of the Marlboro Music Festival with pianist Mitsuko Uchida. He will be in residency in London this season as the South Bank Centre’s associate artist. He also has scheduled orchestral appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under James Levine, the London Philharmonic under Kurt Masur, the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Ivan Fisher, the New York Philharmonic under Sir Colin Davis, the San Francisco Symphony under Alan Gilbert and the Paris’ Radio Philharmonique with Peter Oundjian.
Eleven of this season’s concerts feature pianists, including soloists Jeremy Denk on Dec. 11; Emmanuel Ax, Feb. 29; and Dubravka Tomsic, April 16. Britain’s Florestan Piano Trio returns for a fourth appearance March 15, playing selections from Haydn, Charles Ives and Brahms.
Dec. 16 marks the 20th anniversary performance of the Boston Camerata, with director Joel Cohen, performing “A Renaissance Christmas.” Musicians from Marlboro chamber ensemble returns Feb. 23 with a concert featuring the works of Beethoven, Bartok and Mozart. The Emerson String Quartet will perform Jan. 27 with Paul Neubauer, viola, and Colin Carr, cello, and again on April 27 in an all-Brahms recital.
Additional highlights include the November performances of Trio Cavatina in an all-Beethoven program and the Mendelssohn String Quartet with Benjamin Hochman, piano.
All concerts are free for the Union College community; $25 for general admission and $10 for area students. For tickets, call (518) 388-6080; for more information, call (518) 372-3651 or visit http://www.union.edu/ConcertSeries/.