Robert Blocker, piano

Robert Blocker » piano

h orowit z p i a no ser ie s · m arc h 2 3 , 2 0 11 · 8: 0 0 pm

Domenico Scarlatti 1685–1757

Four Sonatas Sonata in B minor (Andante), k. 87, l. 33 Sonata in B-flat major (Allegro), k. 551, l. 396 Sonata in F minor (Allegro), k. 19, l. 383 Sonata in D Major (Presto), k. 492, l. 14

Frédéric Chopin 1810–1849

Deux Nocturnes, Op. 27 No. 1 in C-sharp minor No. 2 in D-flat major Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49 Intermission

Joseph Schwantner b. 1943

Palindromes (2006)

Maurice Ravel 1875–1937

Sonatine Modéré Mouvement de menuet Animé

Alberto Ginastera 1916–1983

Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 Allegro marcato Presto misterioso Adagio molto appasionato Rudivo ed ostinato

As a courtesy to others, please silence all cell phones and devices. Photography of any kind is strictly prohibited.

Please do not leave the hall during musical selections.

Thank you.

Robert Blocker, Dean

Robert Blocker » piano

a rtis t p ro fi l e Robert Blocker is highly regarded internationally for his artistry as a pianist, his leadership as an advocate for the arts, and his extraordinary contributions to music education. In 1995 he was appointed the Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music and Professor of Piano at Yale University.

A native of Charleston, South Carolina, his public debut was at the historic Dock Street Theater (now home to the Spoleto Chamber Music Series). His advanced degree studies were under the tutelage of the eminent American pianist Richard Cass, and later studied with George Bolet. Today, he concertizes throughout the world. Recent orchestral engagements include the Beijing, Shanghai, Korean, and Daejon Symphony Orchestras, the Prague and Moscow Chamber Orchestras, the Monterrey Philharmonic, and the Houston Symphony. His appearances at the Beethoven Festival (Warsaw) and the Great Mountains International Music Festival (Korea, with Sejong Soloists) add to the critical acclaim as noted in the Los Angeles Times review: “…great skill and accomplishment, a measurable virtuoso bent and considerable musical sensitivity…mesmerizing moments.”

In 2006 Blocker was named honorary Professor of Piano at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and in November of 2007 he was the keynote speaker on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Shanghai Conservatory. His many contributions to the music community include service on the advisory boards for the Avery Fisher Artist Program and the Stoeger Prize at Lincoln Center, the Gilmore Artist Advisory Board, and the Curatorium of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest. He is a member of the Van Cliburn Foundation Board of Directors and its International Advisory Council.

Robert Blocker appears regularly on national radio and television as an artist and commentator and is active as a consultant to major educational institutions and government agencies. In 2000, Steinway and Sons featured him in a film commemorating the tercentennial year of the piano. His recording of three Mozart concerti with the Biava Quartet was released by Naxos in 2008.

Fanfare raved that “Robert Blocker and this bright young quartet elegantly enact [Mozart’s] description, playing naturally, brilliantly, and unaffectedly.

They are sensitive, joyous, and beautifully in tune with each other’s phrasing…

This is an utterly charming recording.”

In 2004, Yale University Press published The Robert Shaw Reader, a collection of Shaw’s writings edited by Dean Blocker. The volume received considerable acclaim and is now in its third printing. It is being translated into Korean.

h orowit z p i a no ser ie s · 2 0 10 -11 s eas o n

Boris Berman · Artistic Director

APR 6

Boris Berman: Bach Concertos 8 pm | Wed | Morse Recital Hall Featuring concertos by J.S. Bach for keyboard and strings. With Katie Hyun and David Southorn, violins; Ettore Causa, viola; and Mihai Marica, cello.

Tickets $12–22 | Students $6

other keyboard events

APR 26

Masaaki Suzuki, harpsichord 5 pm | Tue | Collection of Musical Instruments A special recital featuring the conductor and harpsichordist Masaaki Suzuki performing music

by Louis Couperin, William Byrd, Jakob Froberger, Dietrich Buxtehude, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Tickets $20 | Seniors & Yale staff $15 | Students $10

MAY 1

Dorothy and Nicholas Renouf 3 pm | Sun | Collection of Musical Instruments Music for piano four hands by Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak, and Fauré. Featuring the Collection’s grand piano made by Erard in Paris in 1883.

Tickets $20 | Seniors & Yale staff $15 | Students $10

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upcom ing ev ents

http://music.yale.edu MAR 24

New Music New Haven 8:00 pm | Thu | Sprague Hall | Free Featuring Ezra Laderman’s Piano Sonata No. 2 and Ingram Marshall’s Authentic Presence, plus new works by graduate composers.

MAR 25

Kyung Yu, violin • Elizabeth Parisot, piano 8:00 pm | Fri | Sprague Hall | Free The Faculty Artist Series presents a recital of music

by Beethoven, Handel, and Saint-Saëns.

MAR 26

Ettore Causa, viola • Boris Berman, piano 5:00 pm | Sat | Sprague Hall | Free Schumann: Drei Romanzen, Op. 94, and Drei Phantasiestücke, Op. 73; Brahms: Sonata in F minor, Op. 120, No. 1; Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120, No. 2. note: This recital was rescheduled from Feb. 15.

MAR 26

Bach Collegium Japan: Benefit Concert 8:00 pm | Sat | Woolsey Hall | $15, Students $8 The Yale Institute for Sacred Music presents Bach Collegium Japan, directed by Masaaki Suzuki, in a performance of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor.

All proceeds will support Yale’s relief efforts for the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

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