Pianist Jeremy Denk makes his Concert Series debut Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel by performing a pair of sonatas that are considered among the most musically challenging: Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" and Ives' "Concord."
"In both the Ives and the Beethoven, there are upward and downward surges, from the most tragic to the most hilarious," the 37-year-old Bard College faculty member told music critic Joseph Dalton recently.
Denk, who has received growing critical acclaim over the past decade, launched his career by winning the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In April 1997, he played his New York City recital debut at Alice Tully Hall after garnering the Juilliard School’s Piano Debut Award.
His repertoire ranges from standard 18th and 19th century works to 20th century masters. The New York Times has described his playing as "bracing, effortlessly virtuosic and utterly joyous."
Denk has also attracted attention for the whimsical musings on his Webblog, “Think Denk” (http://www.jeremydenk.blogspot.com), which further reveal his musical virtuosity and have earned him a listing on the Top 10 Sources for Classical Music. Weaving intricate musical themes throughout a seeming stream-of-conscious blogging, Denk manipulates the written language with a dexterity that inspired New Yorker music critic Alex Ross to comment: “Who needs music critics when you have performers who can write like that?”
Denk has spent many summers at the Marlboro Music School and Festival in Vermont and has toured with the Musicians from Marlboro. He also attended the Ravinia Festival's prestigious Steans Institute and has collaborated with several leading string quartets.
This season, he delivers debut performances with the St. Louis, Houston and San Francisco symphonies in addition to making his Carnegie Hall concerto debut with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. .
An extensive Denk discography includes the September 2007 Sony Records release of “The Red Violin Concerto” with vioinist Joshua Bell, Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the forthcoming release of his first solo disc featuring Bach Partitas 3, 4 and 6 on Azica Records.
Denk received bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and music performance from Oberlin College and Conservatory. He earned a master’s degree in music from Indiana University as a pupil of György Sebök and a doctorate in piano performance from the Juilliard School, where he worked with Herbert Stessin.
He teaches at Bard's Conservatory of Music in Annandale-on-Hudson and resides in New York City.
Tuesday's concert is free for the Union College community, $20 for general admission and $8 for area students. For tickets, call (518) 388-6080; for more information on the Series, call (518) 372-3651 or visit http://www.union.edu/ConcertSeries.