Virtuoso Anton Kuerti, the fourth musician to play in Duke Performances’ current Piano Recital Series, will enliven Reynolds Industries Theater Friday with the savory sounds of Beethoven.
Now in its sophomore year, the program brings together some of the most vibrant pianists of our time to showcase music in an approachable and intimate setting.
“Piano recitals are a little of a peculiar thing in classical music,” Director of Duke Performances Aaron Greenwald said. “There is a great tradition in them, and [the performers] get to play whatever they want to play.”
The series is a relaxed way to immerse students and the community in the often intimidating realm of classical music, and piano is a popular instrument that most people have been exposed to previously.
Kuerti is someone who has taken the instrument’s practice to another level and is hailed as one of today’s finest interpreters of classical music. He’s released over 25 personal recordings, 10 of which are dedicated to the works of grand master Beethoven.
In contrast to the on-campus ubiquity of artists like Ke$ha and LMFAO, Kuerti believes that people are ultimately searching for something more substantial in their tastes.
“A lot of people, when they get to the end of their 30s, are looking for something that has a little more depth, genuine feeling and intellectual content than pop music,” Kuerti said.
The unusual program chosen for tomorrow’s concert perfectly highlights the caliber and range of Kuerti’s refined skill. The sonatas, Appassionata and Les Adieus, are two of Beethoven’s most popular pieces. The bookend work, Anton Diabelli’s 33 Variations on a Waltz, is seldom heard but regarded by experts as the composer’s most adventurous and greatest work.
As a mature artist and musician, Kuerti has a long tradition of performing at lesser-known venues and choosing unconventional pieces. Although he may not be the most well-known pianist, Kuerti is one of the finest, surprising audiences with his seasoned but spontaneous interpretations, Greenwald said.
“He has points of view. [He] has written on them and has lectured on them,” Greenwald said. “But it doesn’t mean that when he plays it’s stale. It’s vibrant.”
Anton Kuerti will perform in Reynolds Industries Theater Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 for the public, $5 for students. Kuerti will also be hosting a master class today in Baldwin Auditorium at 5 p.m. that is free and open to the public.
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