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Carnegie Hall Presents

Khatia Buniatishvili, Piano

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 8 PM Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
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Khatia Buniatishvili
Khatia Buniatishvili by Esther Haase
“An extraordinary pianist” (Los Angeles Times) with a worldwide following, “Khatia Buniatishvili wants everyone to feel like classical music is for them” (NPR). Buniatishvili is best known for virtuosic renderings of fiery, core works of the Romantic repertoire, but her interests and capabilities are far more varied. She opens her second recital in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on a more introspective note with Schubert’s substantial Sonata in B-flat Major, a wonderful survey of the composer’s unique genius and love for the piano. The program also features Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata, a distinctive artifact from a critical moment in the composer’s life; plus choice selections by Liszt, including one of his Hungarian rhapsodies and the most popular of the four Mephisto waltzes.

Those who purchase stage seats must pick them up from the Carnegie Hall Box Office (57th Street and Seventh Avenue) on the day of the concert between 11 AM and 7 PM, unless the tickets have been saved on a mobile device. Since there is no late seating, ticket holders should plan to arrive one hour before the concert is scheduled to begin. At 7 PM, Carnegie Hall staff will direct ticket holders to form a queue. While a ticket guarantees onstage seating, the exact location is determined on a first-come, first-served basis. We do not allow standing at your seat anywhere in the venue.

Though there is no dress code at Carnegie Hall, patrons who are seated onstage are asked to avoid bright clothing and noisy jewelry, and refrain from using heavy perfume. Given the limited space, large bags and flowers are not permitted onstage.

Performers

Khatia Buniatishvili, Piano

Program

SCHUBERT Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2, "The Tempest"

LISZT Mephisto Waltz No. 1

LISZT "Gretchen am Spinnrade" from 12 Lieder von Franz Schubert

LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat Major


Encores:

J. S. BACH Adagio from Keyboard Concerto in D Minor, BWV 974 (after Marcello's Oboe Concerto)

LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp Minor (transcr. Horowitz)

Event Duration

The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission. Please note that there will be no late seating before intermission.
This concert is made possible, in part, by The Gary C. and Ethel B. Thom Fund for Piano Performance and Education.

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At a Glance

SCHUBERT  Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

Schubert’s last three piano sonatas, composed in the months leading up to his untimely death, are notable for the grandeur of their conception. The first movement of the Sonata in B-flat Major is one of the composer’s most spacious musical structures, being almost as long as the other three movements combined.

 

BEETHOVEN  Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2, “The Tempest”

The D-Minor Piano Sonata’s apocryphal descriptive title may owe as much to Beethoven’s unbridled energy at the keyboard as it does to Shakespeare’s play. Written not long after the “Moonlight” Sonata, “The Tempest” Sonata is similarly characterized by rippling arpeggios and moodily atmospheric harmonies.

 

LISZT  Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S. 514

Like much of the music Liszt wrote to show off his transcendental virtuosity at the keyboard, his four Mephisto Waltzes are equal parts inspiration and unabashed showmanship. The first depicts a boisterous wedding feast at a village inn at which Mephistopheles steals the show.

 

LISZT  “Gretchen am Spinnrade” from 12 Lieder von Franz Schubert, S. 558, No. 8

Originally set to a poem by Goethe, Liszt reproduces Schubert’s “Gretchen am Spinnrade” (“Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel”) for solo piano—an arrangement so fitting due to the richly imaginative and sophisticated original keyboard accompaniment.

 

LISZT  Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat Major

Liszt admired the freewheeling, improvisatory style of Hungary’s Roma bands. In old age, he performed one of his Hungarian Rhapsodies at a concert in Rome presented by four of his pupils. A witness reported that “he played the work with the most remarkable variants in a version twice as long as the printed text.”

Bios

Khatia Buniatishvili

French Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili is one of the most prominent classical artists of today. She discovered the piano at the age of three thanks to her mother, who used to leave a new musical score on the piano each day for her to devour. At the age of six, she performed her first concert ...

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