Concertante and Rafal Blechacz, piano February 13, 2011

Comprised of a core of six virtuoso string players, Concertante performs in varied combinations of instrumentalists with a sheen, warmth, and polish that are the hallmark of superb chamber music groups. For this concert, they are joined by the Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz, who performs in recital on the Choral Union Series two nights earlier, for a chamber arrangement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1, written when the composer was only 20 years old. Blechacz is widely regarded as a supreme interpreter of Chopin’s works, sweeping all five first prizes at the 2005 International Chopin Competition when he was just 20, the first Pole to achieve the honor since Krystian Zimerman in 1975.

Program
· Elgar : Serenade for Strings in e minor, Op. 20 (1892)
· Schoenberg : Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 (1899)
· Chopin : Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11 (1830)

Official Website: http://www.ums.org/s_current_season/artist.asp?pageid=616