Jonathan Biss to Tour 10 U.S. Cities with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

Pianist Jonathan Biss will perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K271 & Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K414 with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in 10 North American cities in October and November 2010, directing these works from the keyboard.

The all-Mozart tour programs will include: Symphony in D Major, K196/121, La finta giardiniera; Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K201; Divertimento in D Major, K136; and Cassation No. 1 in G Major, K63; led by director Kenneth Sillito. (See below for program details for each city.) The tour begins on Friday, October 22 in Austin, TX and then travels to Spring, TX (10/23), Waco, TX (10/25), Dallas, TX (10/26), Conway, AR (10/28), Fayetteville, AR (10/29), Thomasville, GA (11/1), North Bethesda, MD (11/3), Selinsgrove, PA (11/4), and Greenvale, NY (11/6).

Mr. Biss says these concerts will reacquaint him with a familiar and beloved Mozart concerto and also see him venture into new territory: "The Piano Concerto K271 is the first of a long line of miracles Mozart created in the genre. In it, he takes a form which had previously been primarily an outlet for his fluency and charm, and imbues it with an imagination, drama, and above all, depth which is astonishing. This is one of the Mozart concerti I've played most, and yet it continues to offer revelations every time I come back to it," says Mr. Biss. "The Concerto K414, on the other hand, is new to me, and it has been pure pleasure to get to know. People often talk about Mozart's 'simplicity' and this concerto would be the perfect example - it has a beauty which is extremely pure, even naive, and its perfection of proportion is impressive even by Mozart's own impossible standard. Its total lack of ostentation also makes a beautiful contrast with the other concerto on the program, which has plenty of brilliance to go with its profundity."

The ASMF tour is one of many highlights of Mr. Biss's 2010-11 season which includes performing Beethoven concerti with the New York Philharmonic and Boston, Chicago and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras. Mr. Biss, who turned 30 in September, will also make his Carnegie Hall recital debut in the Isaac Stern Auditorium on January 21, 2011. The program includes the New York premiere of Three Pieces for Piano, a new work written for him by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Bernard Rands, which he will premiere in Europe and also perform elsewhere in the U.S.

Mr. Biss's most recent recording is an album of Schubert Sonatas in A Major, D. 959 and C Major, D. 840 and two short Kurtág pieces from Játékok on the Wigmore Hall Live label. Released in October 2009, it was named by NPR Music as one of the best albums of the year. Among his albums for EMI Classics are a live recording of Mozart Piano Concertos 21 and 22 with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Schumann and Beethoven recital discs, which were recognized with a Diapason d'Or Award and an Edison Award, respectively.

For Mr. Biss' full 2010-11 concert schedule, and to read his blogs about life as a professional musician, please visit www.jonathanbiss.com.
October 8, 2010

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields U.S. Tour 2010

Kenneth Sillito, Director
Jonathan Biss, Director & Piano

Friday, October 22, 8:00 PM Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX
Tickets: www.texasperformingarts.org
Phone: 512 471 1444

Saturday, October 23, 8:00 PM The Centrum, Spring, TX
Tickets: www.cypresscreekface.org
Phone: 281 440 4850

Monday, October 25, 7:30 PM Jones Hall, Waco, TX
Tickets: www.baylor.edu/music
Phone: 254 710 3571

Tuesday, October 26, 8:00 PM Meyerson Center, Dallas, TX
Tickets: www.dallassymphony.com
Phone: 214 692 0203

Thursday, October 28, 7:30 PM Reynolds Auditorium, Conway, AR
Tickets: www.uca.edu
Phone: 866 810 0012

Friday, October 29, 8:00 PM Baum Walker Hall, Fayetteville, AR
Tickets: www.waltonartscenter.org
Phone: 479 443 5600

Monday, November 1, 8:00 PM Thomasville Cultural Center, Thomasville, GA
Tickets: www.tefconcerts.com
Phone: 229 226 7404

Wednesday, November 3, 8:00 PM Strathmore Center Concert Hall, N. Bethesda, MD
Tickets: www.strathmore.org/eventstickets
Phone: 301 581 5100

Thursday, November 4, 7:30 PM Degenstein Center, Selinsgrove, PA
Tickets: www.susqu.edu/arts
Phone: 570 372 2787

Saturday, November 6, 8:00 PM Tilles Center, Greenvale, NY
Tickets: www.tillescenter.org
Phone: 516 299 3100

Note: The ASMF tour will also include dates in Edmond, OK (10/27), Athens, GA (10/31), Charlottesville, VA (11/5), and Richmond, VA (11/7) with pianist Inon Barnatan.

Program

MOZART Symphony in D Major, K196/121, La finta giardiniera
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414
Interval
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K271
MOZART Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K201

Program - Waco, TX / Selinsgrove, PA

MOZART Cassation No. 1 in G Major, K63
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K414
Interval
MOZART Divertimento in D Major, K. 136
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K271

Program - Dallas, TX

MOZART Divertimento in D Major, K136
MOZART Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K201
Interval
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K271

Program - Conway, AR

MOZART Symphony in D Major, K196/121, La finta giardiniera
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K414
Interval
MOZART Divertimento in D Major, K136
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K271

Program - Fayetteville, AR

MOZART Divertimento in D Major, K136
MOZART Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K201
Interval
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K414

 

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