Markus Groh, Chamber Music at the Clark

NEW!
Chamber Music at the Clark tickets are no longer distributed via lottery.
Tickets for the  Markus Groh concert will go on sale at
https://commerce.cashnet.com/CLARKLIBRARYEVENTS
at 12 noon on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.
Tickets sales are limited to 2 per person.

All attendees must adhere to the UCLA COVID-19 Protocol for Organized Events. This protocol will be in effect until further notice and adjusted as needed to respond to evolving public health conditions.

Face masks: It is strongly recommended that all attendees at indoor campus events wear a highly protective mask (i.e. surgical, N95, KN95, or KP94).

Requirements for event entry: All  attendees must present  proof  of  COVID-19  vaccination  or proof  of  negative  COVID-19 test per Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidelines.

Program

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, op. 90

I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck
II. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen

Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, op. 101

I. Allegretto, ma non troppo
II. Vivace alla marcia
III. Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto
IV. Allegro

Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, op. 106, “Hammerklavier”

I. Allegro
II. Scherzo: Assai vivace
III. Adagio sostenuto
IV. Introduzione: Largo… Allegro–Fuga: Allegro risoluto

Markus Groh gained immediate world attention after winning first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 1995, the first German to do so. Since then, his unique sound and astonishing technique have confirmed his place among the finest pianists in the world. Sharing the same birthday with Alfred Brendel, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and Maurizio Pollini, he has proven himself worthy of their company.

With a career spanning three decades, Mr. Groh has performed with over 140 orchestras worldwide. In North America those orchestras include the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra; in Europe Mr. Groh has appeared with the London Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and most of the top German orchestras under such distinguished conductors as Ivan Fischer, Neeme Järvi, Hannu Lintu, Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagano, Jonathan Nott, and David Robertson.

In 2019 Sony Classical released its first recording featuring Markus Groh performing Danny Elfman’s piano quartet with members of the Berlin Philharmonic. Mr. Groh’s previous solo recordings all won prestigious awards including “Editor’s Choice” (Gramophone Magazine), “Stern des Monats” (Fonoforum), “Recording of the Month” (Musicweb International), and “Supersonic Award” (Pizzicato Magazine).

A captivating recitalist, Mr. Groh elicits shapes, textures, and colors that one seldom hears in live performance. He performs solo recitals worldwide, in some of the most important venues, in cities such as Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver, Vienna, Washington, D.C., and Zurich.

In addition to his successful performing career, Markus Groh is the founder and director of the Bebersee Festival, a chamber music festival near Berlin which in 2019 celebrated its 20th anniversary. The innovative concerts, regularly broadcast on German national radio, take place in an aircraft hangar that was previously used by Soviet troops during the Cold War. The contrast between the space’s former use and the beauty of the great chamber music repertoire inspires meaningful and memorable performances. This dichotomy also fosters unique ideas that include multimedia presentations, collaborations with stage actors, and unusual and thoughtful programmatic ideas, all of which will be expanded upon in coming seasons. Musicians performing at the festival include Kirill Gerstein, Alina Pogostkina, Arabella Steinbacher, Akiko Suwanai, Lars Vogt, and many others.

A project from 2010 in which he traveled throughout Germany by horse-drawn carriage performing recitals on a replica of the 1836 Steinway No. 1 “Kitchen Piano” also illustrates Mr. Groh’s visionary thinking. The tour was documented by the renowned German filmmaker Ralf Pleger and broadcast multiple times on German public television. The film highlighted many of the stark differences between the 19th and 21st centuries and also made reference to the environmental impact of modern society, an idea that ten years later is one of the most urgent issues facing the world.

Markus Groh was a student of Konrad Richter in Stuttgart and Hans Leygraf in Berlin and Salzburg. He is currently Professor of Piano at the University of the Arts in Berlin.

https://www.markusgroh.org/

Markus Groh is represented by Schmidt Artists International, Inc.: https://www.schmidtart.com/

Click here for more information about our chamber music programs.

Chamber Music at the Clark is made possible by The Ahmanson Foundation; The Colburn Foundation; Martha Bardach; Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Ph.D. and Barbara Timmer; Dr. Rogers Brubaker; Patricia N. Chock; Dr. Susan Harris and Mark Harris; Judy Hellinger; Henry J. Bruman Endowment for Chamber Music; Dr. Sheldon H. Kardener and Monika Olofsson Kardener; Elaine and Bernie Mendes; Janet Minami; Bette I. and Jeffrey L. Nagin; Dr. Jeanne Robson; Carol E. Sandberg; Jackie Schwartz; Dr. Patricia Bates Simun and Mr. Richard V. Simun Memorial Fund; Patricia Waldron, M.D., and Richard Waldron; and Roberta and Robert Young.