Classical pianist Hung-Kuan Chen to perform Schubert's final sonatas Aug. 11
Internationally renowned pianist Hung-Kuan Chen will close Salida Aspen Concerts’ 42nd season with a performance of Franz Schubert's last three piano sonatas.
“Schubert’s final sonatas are considered to be among his most important works,” Salida Aspen Concerts president Molly Walker said. “Chen’s interpretation of Schubert’s work is a fitting conclusion to our season.”
The Saturday, Aug. 11 concert will take place at the Salida High School auditorium, 26 Jones Avenue.
Hung-Kuan Chen has been described as an “a pianist of uncompromising individuality as well as an inspiring pedagogue.” He is currently on the faculty of Juilliard and is a visiting professor at Yale. His forthcoming Salida performance is made possible through Salida Aspen Concerts’ longstanding partnership with the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Schubert's final three piano sonatas — Sonata in C minor, D. 958, Sonata in A major, D. 959 and Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960 — were his last major works for solo piano. The pieces were written in the months before his death in 1828.
The sonatas were not published until 11 years after Schubert's death, and their rise to prominence in the classical canon only took place fairly recently. They are now acclaimed as masterpieces for solo piano.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., followed by a pre-concert talk with audience members beginning at 6:45 p.m. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15, and students are provided free admission with accompanying adult.
Salida Aspen Concerts is a volunteer-supported nonprofit that has brought classical music to Chaffee County for more than 40 years through its longstanding partnership with the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Tickets and more information are available at www.salidaaspenconcerts.org.