CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Daniil Trifonov, Piano
Hommage à Chopin
Part of: Keyboard Virtuosos II and Perspectives: Daniil Trifonov
Performers
Daniil Trifonov, Piano
Program
MOMPOU Variations on a Theme of Chopin
SCHUMANN "Chopin" from Carnaval, Op. 9
GRIEG Studie, Op. 73, No. 5, "Hommage à Chopin"
BARBER Nocturne, Op. 33
TCHAIKOVSKY Un poco di Chopin
RACHMANINOFF Variations on a Theme of Chopin
CHOPIN Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35
Encore:
CHOPIN Largo from Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65 (arr. Alfred Cortot)
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission.
At a Glance
Daniil Trifonov’s Hommage à Chopin surveys the Polish master’s enduring influence on composers as diverse as the Russian Rachmaninoff and the Catalan Mompou, who each wrote highly virtuosic sets of variations inspired by Chopin’s piano preludes. In addition to Schumann’s intimate pen portrait, this evening’s program includes short pieces by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Barber that translate Chopin’s musical language into more modern idioms. Having approached his subject obliquely, Mr. Trifonov concludes his tribute with one of Chopin’s most beloved and characteristic works: the Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, with its ever-popular funeral march.
Bios
Daniil Trifonov
Winner of Gramophone's 2016 Artist of the Year award, Russian pianist Daniil
Trifonov has made a spectacular ascent in the world of classical music as a solo artist,
composer, champion of the concerto repertoire, and collaborator at the keyboard in chamber
music and song. The Times (London) calls Mr. Trifonov "without question the most
astounding pianist of our age."
Focusing on Chopin during the 2017-2018 season, Mr. Trifonov releases Chopin
Evocations-his fourth album as an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist-marking his
first foray into a new repertoire with works of 20th-century composers who were greatly
influenced by the Polish master, including Samuel Barber and Frederic Mompou.
Mr. Trifonov gives more than 20 performances on this theme across the US, Europe, and
Asia, including three as part of his self-curated, seven-concert Perspectives series at
Carnegie Hall: this evening's solo recital and two all-Chopin programs with Kremerata
Baltica. Additional concerts in the series include collaborations with baritone Matthias
Goerne and Mr. Trifonov's teacher Sergei Babayan, the latter capping a US tour that
includes the world premiere of a new work for two pianos by Mauro Lanza, co-commissioned by
Carnegie Hall; a performance of Mr. Trifonov's own Piano Concerto with Valery Gergiev
leading the Mariinsky Orchestra, culminating another US tour; and a solo recital in Zankel
Hall that includes a seminal piece from each decade of the 20th century. Mr. Trifonov
curates a similar series this season at Vienna's Konzerthaus, as well as in San Francisco,
concluding with a season-closing Rachmaninoff performance with the San Francisco
Symphony.
Additional highlights of the 2017-2018 season include European tours with Gidon Kremer and
Kremerata Baltica, as well as with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra, and Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala. Mr. Trifonov's orchestral appearances
include Strauss's Burleske with the Orquesta Nacional de España and Bavarian Radio Symphony
Orchestra; Schumann's Piano Concerto with Lisbon's Gulbenkian Orchestra and the Berliner
Philharmoniker; Scriabin's Piano Concerto with the Seattle Symphony; a performance of his
own Piano Concerto with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Prokofiev with the Mariinsky
Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra; and Rachmaninoff with the Munich Philharmonic,
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and The Philadelphia Orchestra.