World-renowned as a pianist, educator, and Beethoven specialist, Jonathan Biss will explore how an artist approaches performing the works of a singular composer – Ludwig van Beethoven – and what audiences should listen for when engaging with these works as a whole. Biss will focus on Beethoven’s final three sonatas – Op. 109, 110, and 111 – weaving performances of these great works together with historical and musical insights.
Sought after around the world as a soloist and chamber musician, Biss has performed with many of today’s leading ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw and The Cleveland Orchestra, and currently serves on faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music. But Biss’ unique strength is how he shares his deep understanding of and commitment to the piano music of Beethoven. From recordings to writings to commissioning Beethoven-inspired works to his Coursera course, Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, that reached over 35,000 students, Biss has become a leading expert on Beethoven’s piano repertoire.
This special presentation of Jonathan Biss is part of Piano Cleveland’s 2022 Listening Series: Prelude to PianoDays, a three-part series designed to take listeners from the couch to the concert hall as they learn new approaches for listening to piano music.
This year’s Listening Series is tied directly to the programming of Piano Cleveland’s summer piano festival, PianoDays @CLE from July 24 – August 14, 2022, which will celebrate the piano in all of its forms through formal performances, community engagement, and pop-up concerts around the city. Just as Biss will explore the mind of Beethoven, his Curtis colleague and 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Winner Michelle Cann will showcase the music and stories of noted Black composer Florence Price in partnership with Karamu House on August 11, 2022.