Japanese Pianist Featured For Second Concert In Emory's Complete Series of Piano Sonatas By Beethoven Oct. 26

 

WHO:	Pianist Yasuo Watanabe
WHAT:	Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas for Piano
WHEN:	Pre-concert lecture 7:15 p.m., concert 8:15 p.m.
WHERE:	Emory Performing Arts Studio, 1804 N. Decatur Rd., Emory
COST:	$15 general admission ($90 for the remaining seven concerts in the series). Ticket price includes pre-concert lecture. 404-727-5050 or send e-mail to boxoffice@emory.edu
PROGRAM:	No. 9, in E Major, Op. 14, No. 1 (1798); No. 17, in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 ("Tempest"–1802); No. 6, in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2 (1797); No. 28, in A Major, Op. 101 (1816) Pre-concert lecture by Ben Arnold, Emory University music professor.

Music at Emory and the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta continue their presentation of the entire cycle of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas in eight recitals by noted pianists from around the world with the Oct. 26 recital by Japanese pianist Yasuo Watanabe. The pianists are dividing the set, each performing four sonatas, in Emory's Performing Arts Studio. Each concert is preceded by a lecture setting that evening's program in the context of Beethoven's life and career. General admission tickets are $15 each or $90 for the series of eight concerts. For information or to order tickets, call the Arts at Emory box office at 404-727-5050 or send e-mail to boxoffice@emory.edu.

Created over the span of his lifetime (1770-1827), Beethoven's sonatas for piano include some of his earliest and some of his last works. "The 32 pieces express the joy and suffering, sensuality and spirituality that make Beethoven one of the most enduring and popular composers of all time," says series organizer William Ransom, the Mary Emerson Professor of Music and artistic director of the Emory Chamber Music Society.

Having eight different artists perform the cycle will provide different perspectives on the body of music, says Ransom. "This is one of the most exciting projects I have been involved in, and I am thrilled to be able to put it together for Atlanta."

Watanabe is a noted Japanese pianist and conductor. The son of a renowned conductor and founder of the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Watanabe began studying music at age six. After completing studies at the Music High School of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music he studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston from 1967-1973. He studied under Theodore Lettvin and Sascha Gorodntizki and has performed around the world with many orchestras. He has conducted a number of groups across Japan and is professor of piano at the Kurashiki Sakuyo University in Kurashiki City of Okayama Prefecture.

The series is sponsored by the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta and the Steinway Piano Galleries. The performances are being recorded for future broadcast on WABE.

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