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Kevin Chow – Greatest Hits: The Art of Piano Transcription
February 13 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
$25
Join celebrated Australian pianist Kevin Chow for an evening of unparalleled virtuosity and musical alchemy at Tempo Rubato. The Art of Piano Transcription is a deep dive into the high-wire act of solo piano arrangements, where one instrument takes on the power of an orchestra and the intimacy of the human voice.
The title pays homage to the 19th-century tradition when transcriptions were the primary way music was shared; long before the invention of the radio or the record player, these piano arrangements acted as the “greatest hits” of the day.
The program is a curated journey through the evolution of the transcription. It begins with the spiritual clarity of Bach, reimagined through the Romantic lens of Ferruccio Busoni and Dame Myra Hess, before moving into the monumental Passacaglia in C minor.
The second half of the program elevates the technical stakes to their limit. Kevin will perform the lush, shimmering song arrangements of Arcadi Volodos, followed by Liszt’s operatic tour-de-force, Réminiscences de Norma. The evening reaches its climax with Samuil Feinberg’s explosive transcription of the Scherzo from Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony, a work so complex it creates a breathtaking “wall of sound” that must be seen to be believed.
PROGRAM
Bach/Busoni – “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” BWV 659
Bach/Hess – Jesu, joy of man’s desiring BWV 147
Bach/Weiss – Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582
Bach/Rachmaninoff – Suite from Violin Partita No.3 BWV 1006
Rachmaninoff/Volodos – “How fair is this spot” Op.21 No.7
Rachmaninoff/Volodos – “Melodiya” Op.21 No.9
Rachmaninoff/Volodos – “Andante” from Cello Sonata Op.19
Liszt – Réminiscences de Norma, S.394
Tchaikovsky/Feinberg – “Scherzo” from Symphony No.6, Op.74
Bach/Hess – Jesu, joy of man’s desiring BWV 147
Bach/Weiss – Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582
Bach/Rachmaninoff – Suite from Violin Partita No.3 BWV 1006
Rachmaninoff/Volodos – “How fair is this spot” Op.21 No.7
Rachmaninoff/Volodos – “Melodiya” Op.21 No.9
Rachmaninoff/Volodos – “Andante” from Cello Sonata Op.19
Liszt – Réminiscences de Norma, S.394
Tchaikovsky/Feinberg – “Scherzo” from Symphony No.6, Op.74