Club Free Time Blog

A Parade of Pianists and other Happy Tales

classical music, Piano

Gail Wein
February 28, 2018

We’re in a Golden Age of pianists, some say. In the month of March in New York City, you’ll have an opportunity to see some of the absolute best of the superstars.

One of the hottest names in piano performance lately is Yuja Wang, and she’s performing Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic February 28 through March 3. Jaap Van Zweden, the Philharmonic’s new music director who takes the reins full time next season, conducts.

Carnegie Hall is, as always, an obvious go-to venue for top keyboard players, and this month is no exception. On March 1, it’s Daniil Trifonov, who is showcased all season as part of the Carnegie Hall “Perspectives” series. He teams up with the pianist Sergei Babayan for a program featuring works for two pianos. Mitsuko Uchida, one of the grand dames of piano, brings two programs full of Schubert’s exquisite piano sonatas on February 26 and March 2. On March 8, Pierre-Laurent Aimard performs Beethoven’s towering Hammerklavier Sonata. The legendary jazz pianist Keith Jarrett brings an evening of solo improvisations to the Carnegie stage on March 21.

A number of other venues feature the ebony and ivory instrument this month. The People’s Symphony concert series brings Lise de la Salle to Town Hall on March 4, the 92nd Street Y presents Angela Hewitt in her continuing Bach Odyssey on March 14 and 18. Also at 92Y, the pianist, author and music historian Stuart Isacoff gives a talk about the pianist Van Cliburn’s triumph in Russia during the Cold War on March 13.

After all that piano music, you’ll have numerous choices for a palate cleanser. And now for something completely different: Benjamin Bagby performs his unique blend of voice, ancient harp and medieval tales at the equally medieval Cloisters on March 4. Also at the Cloisters, music from the Byzantine era in celebration of the Feast of St. Gregory, performed by the vocal ensembles Pomerium and Axion Estin Chanters on March 11. Pipa virtuoso Wu Man performs traditional music on her Chinese lute along with the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band at the NY Society for Ethical Culture on March 17. Classical music in a crypt? Why not? The violinist Lara St. John is featured in the Crypt Sessions series at The Church of the Intercession in Harlem on March 14 and 15.

Morning Star, an opera by Ricky Ian Gordan receives its first New York performances on March 21, 22 and 25 at the Eldridge Street Synagogue. The opera traces the life of an immigrant Jewish family living on the lower east side, affected by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, World War I and the Great Depression.

As always, plenty of performances to keep you off the streets. Enjoy!