Pianist Kevin Class, along with other UT faculty members and guest artists, will present a concert featuring the piano chamber music of German composer Johannes Brahms on Monday, February 23.
The community is invited to attend the free 8:00 p.m. concert, which will be in the Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall of the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center.
Monday’s performance will feature Horn Trio in E-flat major, op. 40, and Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, op. 8. Performers include UT faculty member Wesley Baldwin on cello. Guest performers are Ruth Bacon and Rachel Loseke on violin and Gray Ferris on horn, all members of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.
The concert is part of a larger seven-part series on the Complete Chamber Music with Piano of Johannes Brahms. Last spring, Class, UT associate professor of music, presented the first three programs, which included complete sonatas for cello, violin and clarinet.
On March 23, Class will present the next installation of the series, featuring Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, op. 87, Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, op. 101 and Clarinet Trio in A minor, op. 114. Performers will include UT faculty members Wesley Baldwin on cello and Victor Chavez on clarinet. Guest artists will include Sara Matayoshi and Gabriel Lefkowitz on violin, and Stacy Miller and Andy Bryenton on cello.
The final two concerts of the series will take place this fall and in spring 2016.
“The complete chamber music with piano of Brahms is among the most important literature written for the piano,” Class said. “Every piece is a standard in the repertoire, and all of the works are considered to be masterpieces of music literature.
“While it is not unprecedented for a pianist to present the series of complete chamber music with piano of Brahms, it is rather rare. While it is incredibly important music that every pianist should know, the chamber music includes some of the most difficult music Brahms ever wrote for the piano.”
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CONTACT:
Kevin Class (217-714-6267, kclass@utk.edu)