Roberto Plano to Open Key Pianists Season at Carnegie Hall

Key Pianists Concert Series opens its 11th season with a solo recital performed by the award-winning pianist Roberto Plano on Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 7:30 pm at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (154 West 57th Street in New York City).

The first half of the program includes works by Franz Liszt and Franz Schubert: composers who represent the two ends of the Romantic period. Liszt was a strong advocate of his predecessor, and Plano's program connects these dots, with a Liszt arrangement of Schubert's 'Der doppelganger,' plus selections from Liszt's 'Harmonies poétiques et religieuses,' a waltz by Schubert, and more.

On the second half of the program, Plano performs Catalan composer Federico Mompou's 'Impresiones Intimas,' framed by 'El Salón México' (arranged by Leonard Bernstein) and George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue.' (Full program details below.)

The Key Pianists Concert Series was established in 2015 by pianist and artistic director Terry Eder. The series emphasizes impactful and thoughtful programs, carefully selected to showcase the pianist's individual sensibility.

Artists featured in the Key Pianists Concert Series have included Sara Davis Buechner, Danny Driver, Jason Hardink, Cecile Licad, Ann Schein and Peter Takács, among others. Under Terry Eder's leadership, the series continues to foster a rich and intimate dialogue between performer, music, and listener—upholding the piano recital as a profound and enduring art form.

Tickets for Roberto Plano's November 19 recital are $45 (plus fees) and are available at CarnegieHall.org | 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh Avenue.

Roberto Plano on the importance of Mompou's Impresiones íntimas

'The work is a forgotten masterpiece. It reveals an extraordinary artistic maturity, made even more remarkable by the fact that Mompou wrote it when he was only twenty years old. It is a work where timeless melodies coexist with profound moments of silence, creating a space in which the performer can completely surrender to the search for the most personal, intimate, and profound sound possible. I believe this is a work that deserves to be heard much more often, and I am truly delighted to have the opportunity to perform it at Carnegie Hall.'

Event Details

Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 7:30 pm

Pianist Roberto Plano, presented by Key Pianists Concert Series

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 154 West 57th Street, New York, NY

Tickets are $45 (plus fees) and are available at CarnegieHall.org | 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh Avenue

Program

Franz Schubert: Kupelwieser Waltz D. Anh I/14 (transcribed by Richard Strauss)

Franz Schubert: Waltz op. 18 n. 6 D 145

Franz Schubert: Ungarische melodie D 817

Franz Schubert: Der Doppelgänger S. 560/12 (arr. by Franz Liszt)

Franz Liszt: Sancta Dorothea S. 187

Franz Liszt: selections from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses S. 173

~Intermission~

Aaron Copland (arr. Leonard Bernstein): El Salón México

Federico Mompou: Impresiones Intimas

George Gershwin: Rhapsody in blue

Roberto Plano

The Italian-born pianist Roberto Plano has been described as the 'Pavarotti of the Piano' (The Chronicle) and defined by radio commentator Paul Harvey as the heir to Rubinstein and Horowitz. He was First Prize Winner at the Cleveland International Piano Competition and a finalist at the Van Cliburn and Busoni Competitions, as well as prize-winner at over a dozen competitions around the world.