Where
German-American Heritage Museum of the USA 719 Sixth Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Driving Directions
German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA ®
German-American Heritage Musem of the USA ™
202-467-5000
Claire Huangci Piano Recital
Part of the Wurlitzer Concert Series
The German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA® cordially invites you to the second event in our Wurlitzer Concert Series. Join us for a performance of German and other European classics by renowned Chinese-American pianist Claire Huangci on Saturday, January 9th, 2016 from 4:00-6:00pm.
This program will feature the following works:
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988.
On November 19, 1736 the Elector of Saxony conferred the title of "Composer to the Royal Court Chapel" on Johann Sebastian Bach. When Carl von Keyserling, Russian ambassador to the Dresden court, came to Leipzig (where Bach was Kantor of St. Thomas Church) in 1741, he invited Bach to write a set of variations for his youthful chamber harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg. The ambassador commissioned the work "in order to be cheered up a little." He wanted the work to be "soothing and cheerful in character." Upon hearing the variations the count said he "could not hear enough of them" and he rewarded Bach with a gold goblet and a hundred louis d'or. The score that Bach actually wrote is not a light weight series of variations but one of the monumental works of western musical culture.
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Impromptus (1827)
Impromptu in F minor, Op. 142 No. 1 (D935)
Impromptu in A flat major, Op. 90 No. 4 (D899)
Schubert wrote two sets of Impromptus (D899 and D935). Composed in 1827, his post-‘Winterreise’ annus mirabilis, a year of fervent creativity, the Impromptus remain some of his most popular piano works. The Opus 90 Impromptus are often performed as a set, though sometimes a single one will be offered in a program, or as an encore (Schubert himself told his publishers that the works could be issued singly or in a set), and the four pieces do present a kind of journey (‘Reise’), both musical and metaphorical, when considered together.
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35, ”Funeral March”
By the time Chopin composed the Sonata in B-flat minor, he was renowned particularly for his short dance-inspired works (mazurkas, waltzes, polonaises); his only multi-movement compositions known to the public were the two piano concertos and the piano trio written in 1828-1830. The First Piano Sonata, composed in 1828 was published posthumously in 1851.
The Second Sonata was written between 1837 and 1839 and published a year later. Characteristically, its genesis was as a single-movement piece; the Funeral March, now the Sonata’s third movement, was originally composed to stand alone. How and why it became incorporated into a larger structure is not known. The great pianist Anton Rubinstein posited a program for the entire work, “the span of life,” with the Funeral March representing “humanity’s mourning for the dead” and the Finale as “the winds of night sweeping over churchyard graves.” Unfortunately, such interpretations have stuck and diverted the attention of the listener from perceiving what a fascinatingly innovative musical adventure the Sonata actually is.
A native of New York, Claire Huangci began to display exceptional musical ability from an early age. She received a gold medal at the World Piano Competition in Cincinatti at the age of 8 and was featured as a child prodigy on FOX News before the age of 11. At age 10, Claire was invited to play for Bill and Hilary Clinton in the White House. After completing her higher education in both the United States and Germany, Claire continued to pursue music and refine her skills into those of a world-class, internationally-acclaimed concert pianist. She currently resides in Hannover and performs extensively in Germany. We at the German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA® are excited to welcome Claire back to our Museum!
The Wurlitzer Concert Series is made possible by the generous patronage of Hardy von Auenmueller, VP Finance, and Wendy Evans Wurlitzer, donor of the Museum's restored historic piano.
