Fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout Performs at the White Light Festival This Week

Fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout will replace pianist Paul Lewis, who was scheduled to collaborate with tenor Mark Padmore in performances of the complete song cycles of Franz Schubert that will open the White Light Festival tonight, October 14, and October 15, and 17 in Alice Tully Hall. Mr. Lewis plans to return to Lincoln Center on November 14 for his White Light Festival recital of late Beethoven piano sonatas.

A statement issued by Mr. Lewis's management explained, "Due to undergoing emergency surgery last week, it is with enormous regret that Paul Lewis has announced his withdrawal from his scheduled performances of Schubert's three song cycles with Mark Padmore at Lincoln Center's White Light Festival. The medical procedure was a success and Mr. Lewis is recovering well, but his doctors have advised him not to travel for six weeks. Mr. Lewis is devastated not to be part of this long planned project, and to miss performing with his close friend and colleague, but has every intention of making it back to New York for his recital on November 14, 2015.

Mr. Bezuidenhout and Mr. Padmore have recorded and performed together extensively. They are currently on a joint tour which takes them to Amsterdam, Freiburg, Stuttgart, Cologne, Berlin and London before coming to New York.

Kristian Bezuidenhout is one of today's most notable and exciting fortepianists. Born in South Africa, he began his studies in Australia, completed them at the Eastman School of Music, and now lives in London. Mr. Bezuidenhout first gained international recognition at the age of 21 after winning the prestigious first prize, as well as the audience prize, in the Bruges Fortepiano Competition.

He is a frequent guest artist with the world's leading ensembles, including the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Concerto Köln, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the 2015-16 season, Mr. Bezuidenhout performs with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Kammerorchester Basel, Kammerakademie Potsdam, the English Concert, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, and continues his close collaboration with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. He also gives solo recitals in the UK, U.S., Canada, and Japan, and performs chamber music with Mark Padmore, Rachel Podger, Anne Sofie von Otter, Isabelle Faust, Kristin von der Goltz, and the Chiaroscuro Quartet.

WHITE LIGHT FESTIVAL

THE SCHUBERT CYCLES

Mark Padmore, tenor

Kristian Bezuidenhout, fortepiano

Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 7:30 pm

The Lovely Mill Maiden

Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, D.795

Schubert's early masterpiece based on poems by the 19th-century German poet Wilhelm Müller is one of the most celebrated cycles in the vocal repertoire. Its 20 songs tell the story of a young man's longing, insecurity, and great love, which turns to heartbreak, despair, and disillusionment.

Thursday, October 15, 2015 at 7:30 pm

Swan Song

Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98

Schubert: Schwanengesang, D.957

Translated as "Swan Song," Schubert's posthumously released final collection extends a bridge to another plane through complex music of unearthly beauty, ranging from lighthearted to bone-chilling. On this program, the Schubert songs follow Beethoven's An die Ferne Geliebte ("To the distant beloved"), the first example of a "ring of songs," which foreshadowed Schubert's later mastery of the song cycle.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 at 7:30 pm

Winter Journey

Schubert: Winterreise, D.911

Schubert's song cycle for voice and piano is one of the landmark creations of the Western musical canon. Written in 1827, the cycle sets 24 poems by the German poet Wilhelm Müller. Deeply existential and brooding in content and mood, Winterreise is eerily modern in its subject matter and outlook and has inspired a broad range of 20th-century and contemporary interpretations.

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