Schubert:
Piano Sonata in A, D664
Piano Sonata in D, D850

György Kurtág:
Hommage a Schubert

Jörg Widmann:
Idyll and Abyss:
Six Schubert Reminiscences

AVIE welcomes to the label Israeli-American pianist Benjamin Hochman with Homage to Schubert, pairing two contrasting Schubert Sonatas – the delicate and somewhat modest D664 in A major, and the brilliant and bold D850 in D major – with modern-day tributes to the composer by György Kurtág, whose work lends its name to the recording’s title, and the world-premiere recording of Jörg Widmann’s Idyll and Abyss: Six Schubert Reminiscences, which conjures a wide range of complex, volatile and mercurial emotions worthy of their namesake.

Winner of 2011's prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Hochman has been described by the New York Times as a “gifted, fast-rising artist”. Following a successful 2006 debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he has gone on to perform with the New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, New Jersey and Portland Symphonies. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Mannes College of Music, his festival performances include Marlboro, Ravinia, Caramoor, Santa Fe, Bard, Gilmore, Vail and Vancouver. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio's Young Artist Showcase and Performance Today, WNET’s Sunday Arts, and New York’s WQXR.

critical acclaim for Benjamin Hochman

“Mr. Hochman’s sensitive performance compelled you to listen. In his comments he was soft-spoken and intelligent, and those qualities characterized the playing of this gifted, fast-rising artist as well.” – The New York Times

"The guy is a major artist. This was substance over flash, poetry over spectacle. The performance of the Schubert Sonata was that of a pianist giving his all for every note” – Sequenza21

summary

Israeli-American pianist Benjamin Hochman debuts on AVIE with Homage to Schubert, pairing two contrasting Schubert Sonatas – D664 and D850 – with modern tributes by Kurtág and Jörg Widmann

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Recorded June 23-24, 2012 at the American Academy of Arts and Letters ZankUkośnika Producer: Eric Wen