~ Program ~

Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)

Preludes

1. Brouillards (Mists)
2. La Puerta del Vino (The Gate of Wine)
3. La danse de Puck (Puck's Dance)
4. «Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir»
("The sounds and fragrances swirl through the evening air")
5. Feux d'artifice (Fireworks)

Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)

Sonata in C major "Reliquie" D. 840
1. Moderato
2. Andante

~Intermission~

Frederic Chopin (1810 - 1849)

Three Ecossaises, Op. posth. 72, No. 3-5
1. D major
2. G major
3. D-flat major
Waltz in E major, Op. posth.
Waltz in A minor, Op. 34, No. 2
Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 42
Bolero in C major, Op. 19
Four Mazurkas, Op. 24
1. G minor
2. C major
3. A-flat major
4. B-flat minor
Rondo à la Mazur in F major, Op. 5
Polonaise "Heroic" in A-flat major, Op. 53

Notes on the Program

by: Jannie Lo (DMA candidate at the Peabody Conservatory of Music)

Claude Debussy: Preludes

In writing his twenty-four Preludes, Debussy carried forth into the twentieth century the development of the prelude as an individualized musical genre. From as early as the first notated organ or lute preludes of the fifteenth century, the term suggested a "prelude to something" or an extemporaneous introduction, used to warm up the fingers or tune the instrument. Beginning with Chopin, and later with Debussy, the prelude became an independent character piece. Debussy’s first book of Preludes was published in 1910, and he continued working on the second book until 1913, while simultaneously writing his ballet score Jeux. Unlike Chopin, Debussy gave each prelude a title, though discreetly. The name appears at the end of each selection, in parentheses, and preceded by three ellipsis, as if an afterthought. full notes...

selecting a piano for tonight 2020.02.29

For his 6th appearance at NEC's Jordan Hall, Mr. Dang Thai-Son's enchanting and uplifting performance on 02/29 in front of a packed house of the most enthusiastic audience was unforgettable. Mr. Jim McDonald of The Boston Musical Intelligencer said: "He demonstrated extraordinary control of sound, keyboard, and pedaling. His exquisite music-making also observed fidelity to all three composers." "What a rich, grand sound Thai Son summoned for the "Heroic" Polonaise in A-flat Major, Rubinstein would have been envious, had he been there to witness." - Boston Musical Intelligencer

".. .this Vietnamese-born and Russian-trained musician, now in his early 60s, is one of the best pianists alive. " - Stephen Wigler, International Piano Magazine, UK

鄧泰山音樂會後新聞稿 (3-2020)

中華表演藝術基金會於二月二十九日星期六晚八時, 邀請到在1980年獲得國際蕭邦鋼琴大賽的第一名及金牌獎的越南裔加拿大鋼琴家鄧泰山, 在紐英崙音樂學院喬登廳 (Jordan Hall) 舉行獨奏會。這是他第六次應中華表演藝術基金會邀請在喬登廳的演出。當晚座無虛席, 來了許多音樂界的名人及從哈佛, 紐英崙音樂學院, 波士頓音樂學院的教授, 還有他的學生和朋友們等等。許多人是遠從紐約市前來聽這場令人難忘的音樂會。鄧泰山當晚的演出有德彪西, 舒伯特和蕭邦的曲目。現場錄像將很快發佈在中華表演藝術基金會YouTube頻道上。

波士頓音樂情報雜誌 (The Boston Musical Intelligencer) 的音樂評論家 Jim McDonald 寫道："他對音色, 鍵盤和踏板的控制表現非凡。保有三位作曲家的風格, 同時也展現他精湛的音樂創作。 A大調英雄波蘭舞曲目顯示出一種豐富而宏偉的聲音, 魯賓斯坦若要親自在場, 不知要如何的羨慕！"

英國國際鋼琴雜誌 (The Piano Magazine) 美東代表威格勒先生(Stephen Wigler)在會後寫道："幾十年來, 我參加了無數次世界著名鋼琴家的演奏會, 一直對於鄧泰山沒有得到他應有的聲譽感到納悶, 至今對我這仍然是一個謎。他在中華表演藝術基金會系列音樂會, 二月二十九日喬登廳的演出中更加證實, 這位現年60多歲的越南裔, 俄羅斯培訓的音樂家, 真是現代最好的鋼琴家之一。他在舒伯特未完成的C大調D840 奏鳴曲的表現具有強大的說服力。這首曲目雖然不被鋼琴家們經常演奏, 但這是舒伯特未完成的十四首奏鳴曲中最重要的。只有兩個樂章, 但構成的內練和個人的表現, 只有成熟的舒伯特演出者可以成功的詮釋它。鄧泰山的第一樂章的開場, 演奏大膽不費力, 但仍然成功地表現出曲目應有的巨大能量。他在隨後的C小調中的悲壯, 完全表達了舒伯特"未完成"交響曲中那種無語問蒼天的深深的感情。聽了鄧泰山的演奏很容易使人理解, 為什麼這位在華沙國際蕭邦大賽獲得第一名的鋼琴家, 40年後, 仍被波蘭視為最受尊敬的英雄人物。"

20年前, 中華表演藝術基金會邀請鄧泰山在波士頓首演, 儘管那時候他贏得蕭邦比賽的冠軍已經20年了, 但是很少有人聽說過他的名字。因為當時的鄧泰山, 成長於北越, 學習於莫斯科的特殊背景, 使得他在年僅二十歲時獲獎後的最重耍的幾年, 只能在蘇聯及東歐各國演出, 以致於歐美國觀眾對他的名字陌生淡忘。他在喬登廳的首演, 觀眾很少。但是《波士頓環球報》The Boston Globe的首席評論家代爾(Richard Dyer)先生出席。稱他為「世界第一流的鋼琴家」極力推崇。

鄧泰山獲得了波蘭文化功績最高金牌獎。他目前在Oberlin音樂學院任教。從2020年秋季開始加入新英格蘭音樂學院任教。

photos : Chung Cheng, Chi Wei Lo, Xiaopei Xu

Dang Thai Son 鄧泰山
"A genuine musician" - Isaac Stern

Photo: Harold Fortin

An outstanding international musician of our time, Vietnamese - Canadian pianist Dang Thai Son was propelled to the forefront of the musical world in October 1980, when he was awarded the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Xth International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. It was also the first time that a top international competition was won by an Asian pianist.

He began piano studies with his mother in Hanoi. Discovered by the Russian pianist Isaac Katz, who was on visit in Vietnam in 1974, he pursued his advanced training at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia with Vladimir Natanson and Dmitry Bashkirov.

Since winning the Chopin Competition, his international career has taken him to over forty countries, into such world renowned halls as the Lincoln Center (New York), Barbican Center (London), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Herculessaal (Munich), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Opera House (Sydney), and Suntory Hall (Tokyo).

He has played with numerous world-class orchestras such as The Philharmonia Orchestra , BBC Philharmonic , City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, St-Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal , Czech Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Dresden Philharmonic Oslo Philharmonic, Warsaw National Philharmonic, Prague Symphony, NHK Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, Hungarian State Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, Russian National Symphony, as well as Virtuosi of Moscow, Sinfonia Varsovia, Vienna Chamber, Zurich Chamber, Royal Swedish Chamber Orchestras, and the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. Also, he has appeared under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner, Vladimir Ashkenazy , Pinchas Zukerman, Mariss Jansons, Pavvo Jarvi, Ivan Fisher, Frans Bruggen, Vladimir Spivakov, Dimitri Kitaenko, Sakari Oramo and John Nelson among others.

In the field of chamber music, he has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Octet, the Smetana String Quartet, Barry Tuckwell, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Pinchas Zukerman, Boris Belkin, Joseph Suk, Alexander Rudin, and he has played duo-piano with Andrei Gavrilov.

Other career highlights include a New Year's Day concert (1995) with Yo Yo Ma, Seiji Ozawa, Kathleen Battle, and the late Mstislav Rostropovich, in a major international event produced by the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation NHK; in January 1999, a Gala-concert opening the Chopin year, where he was the only foreign artist invited to appear as soloist with the Warsaw National Opera Theatre Orchestra; concerts in Isaac Stern's last festival in Miyazaki, Japan in 2001, which included three performances with Pinchas Zukerman; a special performance in 2005 as the only guest artist at the Opening Gala Concert of the XVth International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, where he was also a member of the jury; and on Chopin's 200th Birthday, March 1st, 2010, he played at the Gala Concert the Concerto in f-minor with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century under the direction of Frans Bruggen at the Warsaw National Opera Theatre.

Dang Thai Son is frequently invited to give master classes around the world - such as the special class in Berlin in October, 1999, where he taught alongside Murray Perahia and Vladimir Ashkenazy. Since 2001, he teaches as Guest Professor at the Universite de Montreal (Canada.) He has sat on the juries of prestigious competitions such as the Warsaw International Chopin Piano Competition (2005, 2010, 2015), Cleveland (USA), Clara Haskil (Switzerland), Artur Rubinstein (Tel-Aviv), Hamamatsu, Sendai (Japan), Piano Masters of Monte Carlo, Sviatoslav Richter (Moscow), Prague Spring International, Montreal International Piano Competition, and Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition among others.

During the 2012-2013 season, Dang Thai Son toured around the world with an ambitious program of all five Beethoven's piano concertos, the Beethoven Marathon. This colossal project was considered the most significant since his winning at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1980.

Dang Thai Son has recorded for Deutsche Grammophone, Melodya, Polskie Nagrania, CBS Sony, Analekta, Victor JVC, and the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.

Mr. Dang's album "Chopin's Concertos" on Fryderyk Chopin Institute label was awarded in 2013 a Platinum Disc by the Polish Association of Audio-Video Producers for sales of over 10,000 copies. This disc features recordings of the Chopin Piano Concertos on a 1849 Erard piano and period instruments under the baton of the late Frans Bruggen and his Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, documenting two memorable events in the festival "Chopin and his Europe" in 2005 and 2006.

Two exciting recording projects were released in 2017. The first one is a Schubert recording with Victor Kenwood Japan, a company that Dang Thai Son has worked with since 1995. The second recording devotes to Paderewski's compositions which includes the Piano Concerto in a minor and a selection of Paderewski's solo works. The Piano Concerto on this CD was recorded live with the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy during the "Chopin and his Europe" Festival in Warsaw on August 29th, 2015. This recording was selected as "La clef du mois" (Disc of the Month) by ResMusica (Paris, France.)

Dang Thai Son was chosen by Deutsche Grammophone, in partnership with The Frederyk Chopin Institute, to be featured as one of the artists in their recently released 2-volume recording of music of Chopin on period instruments. Album can be ordered here.

Dang Thai Son is the featured artist in the television program "Tomorrow", produced by NHK (Japan Broadcast Corporation) in which he visited music students that were the victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in the Tohoku area in Fukushima (Japan). He shared with them his musical experiences but most importantly he encouraged them to continue their music education, to fight on, and to look forward to the future. The program was broadcast worldwide in February 2013.

Dang Thai Son has received the "Doctor Honoris Causa" from the Music Academy in Bydgoczsz, Poland.

Mr. Dang is the subject of the biography "A pianist loved by Chopin - The Dang Thai Son Story", published by Yamaha Music Media Corporation in 2003.

Mr. Dang is the winner of the Prix Opus (equivalent of a Grammy Award in Quebec, Canada) in the 2016 "Concert of the Year" category for his concert presented by the Fondation Arte Musica at the Musee de Beaux Arts' Bourgie Hall in Montreal, Canada.

In September of 2018, Dang Thai Son received the Gold Medal "Zasluzony Kulturze Gloria Artis" (Medal for Merit to Culture) from the Ministry of Culture of Poland. This is the highest level of distinction awarded to people for their distinguished contributions to Polish culture and national heritage. What an extraordinary news and humbling honor for Mr. Dang whose career has been dedicated to music of Chopin and recently music of Paderewski!

Dang Thai Son joined the piano faculty at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in September 2018. In November 2018, Mr. Dang was named as Specially appointed Professor of Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Chinese National School of Music and China Conservatory of Music and in June 2019, he was invited to be the honorary Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. In the Fall of 2020, Dang Thai Son will join the faculty at the New England Conservatory.

http://www.dangthaison.net/bio.html

Review from
Stephen Wigler -
International Piano Magazine, UK
for Dang Thai Son piano recital
at NEC's Jordan Hall
02-29-2020

"After decades of attending piano recitals, Dang Thai Son's failure to achieve the fame he deserves remains a mystery to me. As his recital in the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts series at the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall (29 Feb.) confirmed, this Vietnamese-born and Russian-trained musician, now in his early 60s, is one of the best pianists alive. His performances of six Debussy Preludes demonstrated a mastery of the hushed resonances of pianissimo textures in pieces such as Brouillards and Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir. These works may have vague outlines, but any notion that successful results can be obtained with vague control was demolished by the pianist's delicate placing of every note with exacting technique and sensibility. Debussy's writing for the piano rarely calls for a sharp percussive edge, but when it does -- as in Feux d'artifice -- Dang's command of the composer's pinwheeling pyrotechnical display was electrifying. The performance of Schubert's unfinished Sonata in C Major ('Relique") D. 840 was equally persuasive. While it is infrequently performed, this is the greatest of the fourteen sonatas that Schubert left unfinished. Its two movements constitute an inward and personal work and only a great Schubert interpreter succeeds with it. Dang played the first movement's opening Moderato with a fearlessly broad tempo that still managed to suggest a work of gigantic proportions. His performance of the subsequent Andante in C Minor had a tragic intensity that made the work sound as complete as the composer's so called "Unfinished" Symphony.

The Chopin group that completed the program after the interval was an unqualified triumph. Three of the Waltzes were played with exactly the right combination of elegance and sentiment -- as were the performances of the four mazurkas of Opus 24 and the composer's rarely performed Bolero, which Dang, quite appropriately, made this Spanish form sound completely Polish. The Polonaise in A-flat Opus 53 ("Heroic") concluded the program with sonorous grandeur. The authenticity of Dang's Chopin playing easily made one understand why this pianist, forty years after his first-prize victory in Warsaw's International Chopin Competition, is regarded in Poland with something of the veneration usually reserved for national heroes.