Pianist Genevieve Feiwen Lee Plays Beethoven

Genevieve Feiwen Lee, Everett S. Olive Professor and Professor of Music, will offer a solo recital of music by Ludwig van Beethoven in Bridges Hall of Music (150 E. Fourth St., Claremont) at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The recital is free and open to the public.

The program includes this German composer’s last three sonatas: Sonata No. 30 in E Major, opus 109, distinguished by the formal compactness of its first two movements and special lyricism of the last; Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, opus 110, which has been called the central piano sonata in this group and is characterized by its rich contrapuntal writing; and finally the revered Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, opus 111, which Grammy award-winning pianist/conductor Sir András Schiff has called “one of the wonders of mankind.” Composed within a three-year period from 1820 to 1822, these late piano sonatas have been considered by many as some of Beethoven’s most difficult repertoire. As Texas Public Radio commentator Randy Anderson has said, “These are works that have earned their immortality,” and John Henken, Director of Publications for the Los Angeles Philharmonic has written, “Each of Beethoven’s last three piano sonatas is a world apart, a unique distillation and synthesis of formal and expressive devices.”

In choosing a recital program, Lee often likes to juxtapose music from widespread centuries. This year she is taking a completely different tack. When asked why the change she said, “Deciding on playing these three masterpieces felt like I was taking on a personal spiritual journey that would be challenging and fulfilling, and hopefully ongoing.” She continued saying, “Presenting these three sonatas was an intimidating idea when I was younger, as one is expected to have a certain ‘maturity’ when performing them. I don’t feel that I’ve truly reached that stage yet, but I felt like I might as well try now so that I have a chance of reaching that point in the future with these pieces.”

A versatile performer of music that spans five centuries, Genevieve Feiwen Lee has thrilled audiences on the piano, harpsichord, toy piano, keyboard, and electronics. She enjoys finding music that challenges her to go outside of her comfort zone to sing, speak, act and play many new instruments.

Since her first engagement with the York Symphony at the age of 12, Lee has appeared with the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, Brazil, the Vratza State Philharmonic, Bulgaria, and The Orchestra of Northern New York. She has given solo piano recitals at Merkin Concert Hall, NY, and the Salle Gaveau in Paris. Her concerts in Changsha, China, were broadcast by Hunan State Television, and her performance from the Spiegelzaal at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam was broadcast on live radio (AVRO). As a founding member of the Mojave Trio, she plays regularly on the “Sundays Live” concerts at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. As a member of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet (Hot Springs, Virginia) she recently performed in Carnegie Hall.

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Additional Upcoming Faculty & Guest Performances
Programs are ticketless and free, with open seating.
EXCEPTION: Kronos Quartet will require a ticket for entry. See below for more information.

 

Trio FUGU: Lorenz Gamma, violin; Joon Sung Jun, cello; Ming Tsu*, piano
3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015
Bridges Hall of Music
Music by Juhi Bansal, Clarke and Dvořák

Kronos Quartet: David Harrington, violin; John Sherba, violin; Hank Dutt, viola; Sunny Yang, cello
8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015
Bridges Hall of Music
Admission free with tickets, available starting Oct. 19, 2015; contact: (909) 607-1139
Music by Ali-Zadeh, Laurie Anderson, Pete Townshend and more

Members from the LA Chamber Orchestra
Tereza Stanislav & Sarah Thornblade*, violins; Rob Brophy, viola; Trevor Handy, cello
8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015
Bridges Hall of Music
The complete Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

*Pomona College Department of Music faculty members