Friday, March 30, 2012

IMPORTANT DETAIL ABOUT BACH FESTIVAL......

Bach Festival on March 31, 2012 will be held at 150 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena 91105. Please DO NOT go to Church of Our Saviour. That location is incorrect.

Thank you!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Concerto *Fest* Austria


Dear Friends of Concerto*Fest*Austria,

Mark Sunday May 27 at 3pm for a very special event.  Why so special?  Well, did you ever wonder what it would be like to be a guest for an afternoon "musical salon" in an aristocratic home on Vienna's Ringstrasse at the turn-of-the-last-century?  Moreover, that your host was a patron of Mahler and Klimt?  Imagine yourself, seated on furniture designed by Josef Hofmann and the Wiener Werkstätte, surrounded by art of the Vienna Secession and Art Deco eras, and listening to your host's newest musical protégé, a young piano virtuoso recently graduated from the Conservatory playing your beloved Viennese composers.  And ending... aber natürlich!... with an obligatory tour-de-force of Strauss waltzes.  Champagne, Viennese pastries and savories followed, while guests admired the elegant surroundings, engaged in animated conversation and the latest gossip swirling around the Imperial Court and State Opera House.  If that was ever your fantasy, then you won't want to miss joining us on May 27!

Unlike those special musical moments we have all experienced in the large music halls of today... on Sunday May 27 we are re-creating right here in Los Angeles that most intimate of musical experiences.... a true musical "salon."  You'll be taken back in time, surrounded by beautiful Austro-Hungarian Jugendstil - art nouveau furniture and artwork of SZALON Gallerie in Beverly Hills, where indeed, a young Vienna-trained piano virtuoso, Jovanni de Pedro, will perform Viennese music in this extraordinary setting.  And yes, he'll conclude with Dohnanyi's tour-de-force on Strauss's "Schatz-Walzer."  For this brief moment, the gallery district of La Cienega Boulevard becomes our Ringstrasse. The event is under the sponsorship of the Austrian-American Council West and our gracious host, Budapest-born Judith Hoffman of SZALON Gallerie.  It promises to be an elegant afternoon you will not soon forget.

This is a private invitation to my friends before official invitations are issued.  I want you to know about it early since the seating is very limited in this extraordinary but intimate space, and we recommend your reservations as early as possible. The event is to benefit Concerto*Fest*Austria, our summer festival celebrating now its 11th year in Austria.  Your contribution is tax-deductible and our "salon" is intended as a thank-you for your support.  In the event that you are unable to join us that day we would be delighted and grateful if you could consider a gift nevertheless. Gifts over $100 will be acknowledged in the printed program. For further information and reservations (required) please call 818-507-5904.  

Hope to see you on May 27.  Auf Wiedersehen!

Robert

East Meets West


Dear Friends & Students...
Join me in celebrating the birth centennial of composer JOHN CAGE on April 2!

EAST MEETS WEST:  The Gamelan Music of JOHN CAGE 
for Prepared Piano
  Monday evening, April 2, at 7:30pm
         Bird Studio at Occidental College
  Robert Ward, pianist

I'll be performing selections from his SONATAS AND INTERLUDES as a lecture-recital.  If you aren't prepared for these pieces you're in for a surprise and a real treat.  The sound of the piano is totally transformed into the sounds of a gamelan orchestra, those colorful pitched percussion ensembles still heard today in Java and Bali.  I'll talk about how Cage came up with the idea, explain and demonstrate the materials that produce these exotic sounds, and perform some of the loveliest, most colorful and rhythmic piano pieces you've ever heard.  The program lasts about an hour and you're invited to come up afterwards to try the piano yourself.

Robert

P.S.  I had the pleasure to perform these in New York some years ago and got this nice note from Cage afterwards. "Thank you for all that you are doing.  I enjoyed the expressive timing (rubato) very much, and the preparation is very colorful.  Thank you for playing so beautifully."

Friday, March 23, 2012

Please see the Fliers and Forms section for an announcement on To Russia and Back.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Presenting Judith Neslèny in concert on March 11 and March 18 - please click on the dates for more information.