Classical Recital

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor
John Churchwell, *piano**

Uncharted

Sat, Sep 27, 8pm, Hertz Hall

In this sweeping program centered on the beauty of the natural world, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen lends his "ravishing, otherworldly" (Opera News) voice to an exciting collection of familiar and fresh songs. Nussbaum Cohen enjoys venturing beyond the usual countertenor repertoire, and has carved out a unique path by being the only artist of his voice type to record lieder in the Austro-Germanic tradition by Brahms, Clara and Robert Schumann, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

He complements those moody works with songs by Black American composers H. Leslie Adams and Florence Price, music inspired by his Jewish heritage, and the West Coast premiere of Oh Children!, a Cal Performances co-commissioned work by Jake Heggie.

Songs by Handel, Clara and Robert Schumann, Brahms, Korngold, Heggie, and others

see full program

Patron Sponsor: Bernice E. Greene

* Cal Performances debut

Daniil Trifonov, piano

Sun, Sep 28, 3pm, Zellerbach Hall

Fluent, fleet, fearless, and full of fire, Daniil Trifonov’s thrilling performances are known to bring listeners to the very edge of their seats. The pianist is renowned for constructing gripping narrative arcs across the length of his concerts, and for delivering the most serene, delicate moments in an almost conspiratorial whisper, while building rippling layers of sound to conjure power and emotion from the keyboard. His Berkeley recital centers on two dazzlingly inventive and virtuosic sets of variations by Brahms.

HANDEL	Suite in G minor
BRAHMS	Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann
R. SCHUMANN	Davidsbündlertänze

This pianist is such a wizard at his instrument, he makes even the gnarliest pieces sound easy”

— New York Classical Review

Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano*

Thu, Oct 30, 7:30pm, Zellerbach Hall

Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii—known to his legion of fans simply as Nobu—is that rare classical musician with a pop star’s following. Since winning the gold medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he has gone on to a stellar international career, filling concert halls with his emotionally direct, charismatic interpretations. Here he plays Beethoven’s timeless Appassionata sonata, Mikhail Pletnev’s piano adaptation of music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, and Prokofiev’s tumultuous seventh sonata. Nobu "brings quite an unusual gift to the performances he gives—interpretations which are entirely focused on the possibilities of sound and feeling; he almost reinvents the music he is playing" (Seen and Heard International).

BEETHOVEN, arr. LISZT	An die ferne Geliebte
BEETHOVEN	Piano Sonata in F minor, Appassionata
TCHAIKOVSKY, arr. PLETNEV	The Nutcracker Suite
PROKOFIEV	Piano Sonata No. 7

* Cal Performances debut

Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano

Kristian Bezuidenhout, piano

Sun, Oct 5, 3pm, Hertz Hall

The magisterial mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter has shown that her formidable powers know no bounds— from her diva status as the superlative Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) of her generation; to long associations with Carlos Kleiber, Claudio Abbado, and Sir Colin Davis, and genre-crossing collaborations with Elvis Costello, Brad Mehldau, and Rufus Wainwright. With acclaimed keyboardist Kristian Bezuidenhout, von Otter brings "strikingly imaginative intensity" (Gramophone) to Schubert’s Schwanengesang song cycle, a collection first published after the composer’s death that mines complex emotional terrain, from love and despair to sorrow and serenity. A selection of Schubert keyboard interludes showcases Bezuidenhout’s supreme poetry.

SCHUBERT

Schwanengesang
and selected works for solo keyboard

Major Support: Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation

Jeremy Denk, piano

Bach’s Six Partitas for Solo Keyboard

Fri, Nov 14, 8pm, Zellerbach Hall

Pianist Jeremy Denk has secured his place in the pantheon of great American performers—as well as in the hearts of Berkeley audiences—through keen interpretive insight and captivating virtuosity. This season, the MacArthur Fellow, author, and noted musical commentator returns to Cal Performances with Bach’s six keyboard partitas, compositions known for being as technically intricate as they are sublime.

A pianist and Bach interpreter of world-class stature…his readings…abound with intelligence, character, immaculate technical control, and ravishing tonal resources”

— Classics Today

Samantha Hankey, *mezzo-soprano**

Myra Huang, piano

Sun, Jan 18, 3pm, Hertz Hall

American mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey makes her Cal Performances debut with an inviting program of lieder, cabaret songs, and popular favorites sung in English, French, and German. Hankey made a big splash in the opera world when she appeared in a last-minute cast change as Octavian in the Metropolitan Opera’s Der Rosenkavalier in 2023, where the New York Times praised her “mighty yet smooth sound…tireless energy and dramatic skill.”

In demand internationally for her compelling stage presence and lustrous tone, Hankey opts for more intimate fare in recital, including songs by Kurt Weill and Cole Porter, Poulenc and Satie, as well as Robert Schumann’s much-loved Dichterliebe.

SCHUMANN

Dichterliebe
as well as songs by PORTER, POULENC, SATIE, SCHOENBERG, TRENET, WEILL

see full program

Patron Sponsors: S. Shariq Yosufzai and Brian James

* Cal Performances debut

Steven Banks, baritone saxophone*
Xak Bjerken, piano*

Golden Silhouettes

Sun, Feb 1, 3pm, Hertz Hall

The young Chinese Canadian pianist Bruce Liu has caught the attention of listeners worldwide, praised for "playing of breathtaking beauty" (BBC Music Magazine) and an "effortless virtuosity [that] consistently oozes charisma" (Classics Today). Ever since taking first prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2021, Liu’s star has been on the rise, with warmly received debuts on many of the world’s most prestigious concert stages. His Cal Performances debut program features a pleasing selection of that award-winning Chopin, Beethoven’s ever-popular Moonlight sonata, and a trio of pieces inspired by Spanish themes.

SAINT-SAËNS	Bassoon Sonata
CARLOS SIMON	hear them
JOHN MUSTO	Shadow of the Blues
BEETHOVEN	7 Variations on "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen"
BARBER	Cello Sonata

* Cal Performances debut

Bruce Liu, piano*

Tue, Feb 10, 7:30pm, Zellerbach Hall

It is not every day you get to hear a baritone saxophone virtuoso reimagine seminal works composed for bassoon, cello, and voice on his deeply expressive instrument of choice. In his Cal Performances debut, Steven Banks, "the saxophone’s best friend, fiercest advocate, and primary virtuoso in the classical realm" (Washington Post) and the first saxophonist to win the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant, offers a whirlwind musical tour on the mighty baritone saxophone. His recital features works by two celebrated American composers—a duet commissioned from Carlos Simon and a blues-inflected song cycle by John Musto—and cello showpieces by Beethoven and Barber. Banks reveals the dramatic layers in these works in his inspired interpretations, fueled by a burnished, glimmering tone.

LIGETI	Fanfares
BEETHOVEN	Sonata in C-sharp minor, Moonlight
CHOPIN	Nocturnes, Op. 27 Selected Impromptus Fantaisie-Impromptu
RAVEL	Alborada del gracioso
ALBÉNIZ	El Puerto
LISZT	Rhapsodie espagnole

* Cal Performances debut

Chris Thile, mandolin and vocals

Fri, Feb 27, 8pm, Zellerbach Hall

A dazzling virtuoso and musical shapeshifter, the "extroverted, stellar, and spectacular mandolinist" (Los Angeles Times) Chris Thile brings the full range of emotions to his eclectic recital performances. Thile is always a captivating presence, whether shredding on the mandolin, singing a ballad, or telling charming stories that recall his time as host of the public radio program Live from Here.

Drawing on selections from Laysongs, his first-ever solo recording from 2024, the MacArthur Fellow and four-time Grammy winner is just as likely to play his highly personal take on a Bach partita as he is a classic bluegrass tune or one of his introspective original songs. Be prepared for surprises!

WATCH: Chris Thile performs Laysong

Geneva Lewis, *violin**
Evren Ozel, piano

Sun, Mar 1, 3pm, Hertz Hall

Praised for her lustrous tone and deft, dancing energy in a wide range of repertoire, New Zealand-born, US-raised violinist Geneva Lewis has been garnering attention on the international recital circuit since winning both the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. In her Cal Performances debut, she plays a lean late-period masterpiece by Schoenberg, Bach’s E major violin sonata, and Schubert’s deeply conversational Fantasy in C major. Pianist Evren Ozel returns to Berkeley campus for this dynamite recital pairing following his impressive Berkeley debut last season.

BACH	Violin Sonata in E major
R. SCHUMANN	Piano Sonata in F minor, Concerto for piano without orchestra
SCHOENBERG	Phantasy
SCHUBERT	Fantasy in C major

Lewis’ tone was rich and full-bodied, her intonation precise and technique impressive"

— San Francisco Classical Voice

* Cal Performances debut

Alexandre Kantorow, *piano**

Thu, Apr 23, 7:30pm, Zellerbach Hall

French pianist Alexandre Kantorow, admired for his “assured, eloquent playing” (The New York Times), makes his Berkeley debut in a fascinating program of thoughtfully-curated keyboard music.

The recital includes Liszt’s haunting piano variations on themes from Bach’s twelfth cantata, Chopin’s dreamy C-sharp minor Prelude, and Scriabin’s Sonata No. 10, nicknamed the “insect sonata” because of all the restless trills in the score. Nikolai Medtner’s rarely performed first sonata is all lyricism and logic.

* Cal Performances debut

BACH arr. LISZT	Variations on “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen”
MEDTNER	Piano Sonata in F minor
CHOPIN	Prelude in C-sharp minor
SCRIABIN	Piano Sonata No. 10
BEETHOVEN	Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

Víkingur Ólafsson, piano

Opus 109

Wed, Apr 29, 7:30pm, Zellerbach Hall

BACH	Prelude in E major from The Well Tempered Clavier, Book I
BEETHOVEN	Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14, No.1
BACH	Partita No. 6 in E min
BEETHOVEN	Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
SCHUBERT	Sonata in E minor
BEETHOVEN	Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109

It will not surprise fans of the probing, insightful pianist Víkingur Ólafsson that his newest project goes deep. Previously, he devoted an entire season of performances to Bach’s Goldberg Variations— playing the cycle for 88 concerts in total, including at Cal Performances in May 2024—because, in his words, "I wanted to know how deeply I can dive into a composition and how many different facets I can discover in it." He won a Grammy this year for his sterling recording of that work. Here, Ólafsson turns his attention to Beethoven’s innovative and emotive Opus 109 piano sonata, taking us on a journey of musical inspiration and influence that includes side trips through the keyboard music of Bach and Schubert, interspersed between movements.

Patron Sponsors: Jeffrey MacKie-Mason and Janet Netz

Ólafsson… combines a ferocious keyboard technique with a razor-sharp intellect that puts those gifts to powerful interpretive use. (Most virtuosos can boast one or the other of these abilities; few can lay claim
to both.)"

—Joshua Kosman, On a Pacific Aisle

Renée Fleming, soprano
Inon Barnatan, piano

Sun, May 3, 3pm, Zellerbach Hall

Among the most beloved and celebrated singers of our time, 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree and five-time Grammy winner Renée Fleming captivates with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and riveting stage presence. A restless and innately collaborative creative spirit, Fleming’s recent work has found her on stage for the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ The Hours at the Metropolitan Opera, and on screen in a new series of IMAX films, Renée Fleming’s Cities That Sing. In this special recital, Fleming joins with star pianist Inon Barnatan for a program of beloved songs, arias, and piano showpieces.

Patron Sponsors: Michael A. Harrison and Susan Graham Harrison
Major Support: The Sir Jack Lyons Charitable Trust

Each part [of her range] has its own distinctive colour, like a river that gleams differently when the sun catches different parts of it"

— Sydney Morning Herald

Which of these composer’s works have you heard?

Jake Heggie
John Musto
Carlos Simon

Whose work would you most like to hear?

Jake Heggie
John Musto
Carlos Simon

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