Part 4 (Summer 2025): Keyboard Weekend
July 20, 2025 I Jeannette Fang
My ethos for “piano weekend” has always been, the more the better.
Because, one pianist is already often too much. But quadruple that by bringing in three superstar pianists to join me? You just have to bask in that excess. So many notes! 4x as many Pyrotechnics!
The idea behind the August 16th’s “Send in the Clowns” concert actually came about back in 2015. I had been toying around with music that portrayed “extreme states of mind”, or “madness”, with pieces like Lance Hulme’s Manic Music for two pianos, or Paul Schoenfeld’s piano duet Five Days from the Life of a Manic-Depressive. Because when faced with my first go around of programming for 4 pianists, I naturally thought of going crazy?
But as it happens, madness as a concept didn’t yield the balance of repertoire I was looking for. Imagine that.
But clowns? Much more fruitful! Because yes, I was looking for that fun unhinged circus vibe, but I also wanted the tragic longing and depth of emotion of Stravinsky’s Petrushka, the clown who loved deeply and longed to be human, the fun comedy of Milhaud’s Scaramouche, and the antics and sparkle of Mendelssohn’s fairy world with the 8 hand version of his Midsummer’s Night Dream. Added to this program is Gabriella Smith’s Máncora to Huaraz, an energetic minimalist excursion with a rhythm section bravely played inside the piano, and William Bolcom’s Garden of Eden, a suite of delightful virtuoso rag fantasies that end with added foot stomping and virtuoso rowdiness.
Sunday’s “Rhapsodic” concert (August 17th) shows us how, in the language of pianist/composers, the genre of “Rhapsody” is synonymous with “showmanship”. And no one did that better than Franz Liszt, whose Hungarian Rhapsodies have been providing “oohs” and “aahs” for generations. Well, of course that wasn’t scintillating enough. So, instead of Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 for solo piano, let’s see how impressive it can be when performed by 4 pianists. And instead of merely playing the already octave-riddled flamboyance of Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody, let’s do Busoni’s exponentially more virtuoso transcription of it for two pianos.
It’s not all about razzle dazzle of course. The sumptuous and evocative colors of Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole, and the lush beauty of Florent Schmitt’s Trois Rapsodies, bring the orchestral range of the piano ensemble to Garth Newel’s stage.
Joining me for this packed weekend will be the beloved Genevieve Lee, whose inspiring musicianship has been my pianist rock for 10 years, the amazing Brian Hsu, whose bold pianism I’ve admired since we were young teenagers at Juilliard Prep, and the superb Jeremy Thompson, whose incredibly thoughtful musicianship make him one of my favorite pianists to collaborate with.
If you haven’t made your reservations already…
Piano Weekend tickets are still available. Weekend packages for both concerts are also available at 10% off.