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HKU Cultural Management Office presents
The Immortal 32: Lifschitz's Beethoven Cycle

19 Jul 2017

 

Presented by Cultural Management Office, HKU

Date: September 15-17 and 21-24, 2017
Venue: Grand Hall, Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, the University of Hong Kong

"To play the entire cycle takes resourceful technique, enormous musical intelligence, and plenty of stamina as well as a willingness to immerse oneself whole in the music." - The New York Times

Frequently referred to as the 'New Testament' of piano music, Beethoven’s set of 32 sonatas stands as a monument of artistic achievement. After the acclaimed recital of The Art of Fugue in 2015, pianist Konstantin Lifschitz is returning to HKU this fall with 8 concerts, offering his intelligent and distinctive approach to the complete cycle – a must-hear concert series in 2017/18!

“I can’t tell you how honoured and privileged I feel to be sharing this key repertoire not just of piano music but of western civilization as such with you... Since I was a child, I was learning about one sonata every year. Now that I’ve turned 40, I managed to perform all of them separately or as opuses in public. And now this is a huge undertaking of presenting all of them to you,” said Lifschitz.

Apart from the thrill of listening to the well-known pieces such as the 'Pathétique', 'Moonlight', 'Appassionata', and the most daunting 'Hammerklavier', it will be a rare chance to hear the less frequently performed works in the broader context, completing an insightful journey through an Everest of the piano repertoire. Join us and be part of the phenomenal concert experience!

To accompany the performance of the Beethoven sonata cycle, there will be a series of 'Music in Words' talks in three different languages, providing insight and context to the music. Free admission – separate registration required at www.muse.hku.hk.

Programme
Concerts
15 SEP | FRI | 8PM          Programme I: Nos. 1-4
16 SEP | SAT | 8PM         Programme II: Nos. 5-8
17 SEP | SUN | 3:30PM   Programme III: Nos. 9-12
17 SEP | SUN | 8PM        Programme IV: Nos. 13-16
22 SEP | FRI | 8PM          Programme V: Nos. 17-21
23 SEP | SAT | 8PM         Programme VI: Nos. 22-26
24 SEP | SUN | 3:30PM   Programme VII: Nos. 27-29  
24 SEP | SUN | 8PM        Programme VIII: Nos. 30-32