After an acclaimed recital last spring at the Italian Academy ("The Bel Canto Piano," March 13), Peloquin returns. His performances, says the NY Times, are “energetic...refreshing...alive; with remarkable definition and clarity.”
PROGRAM
Introduction and Aria: Caro Nome from Rigoletto (1851)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1903)
(transcribed for piano by Yvar Mikhashoff)
Piano Concerto, Op. 38 (1962)
Samuel Barber (1910–1981)
II. Canzone: Moderato (transcribed for piano by Marc Peloquin)
Virtuoso Alice (1984)
David Del Tredici (1937–2023)
Rubinstein in Berlin (2008)
Frederic Rzweski (1938–2021)
Portrait of Madame Butterfly (1992)
Yvar Mikhashoff (1941–1993)
An operatic sonata-fantasy on themes of Puccini in four parts
Prelude
Scherzo: Flower Duet
Nocturne
Finale
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ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE
The term bel canto means beautiful singing and is the name given to a vocal style that originated in Italy and flourished in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Bel canto singers and composers were dedicated to the beauty of melody and emphasized the long, sustained line of the music.
This program features music for solo piano that exemplifies the essence of the bel canto style.
It is hard to imagine the bel canto repertoire without the immortal operas of Puccini and Verdi. The art of piano transcription, which flourished in the nineteenth century and continues to this day, has created an entire repertoire inspired by these bel canto masterpieces. Yvar Mikhashoff contributed to this repertoire with his stunning reimaginings of famous moments from Madame Butterfly and Rigoletto. Samuel Barber was one of the great melodists of the twentieth century, who created a significant catalog of songs and operas. With his Canzone he allows the piano to sing in a modern bel canto style. David Del Tredici composed a wildly imaginative tour-de-force fantasy on the memorable and richly romantic Acrostic Song from his 1976 orchestral work, Final Alice. Frederic Rzewski was so moved by the diaries of the great pianist Artur Rubinstein that he composed a work that intertwines spoken excerpts from the diaries with his own abstract ruminations, culminating with the haunting posthumous Nocturne in C sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin.
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
An adventurous and inquisitive musician, pianist Marc Peloquin excels in making connections with his audience as a performer and advocate of the music of our time. His performances have been described by The New York Times as “refreshing and alive,” and Time Out New York declared Marc an “innovative ivory tickler.” His recordings can be heard on the Albany, CRI, Naxos, and Urtext labels. Marc also has a passion for writing piano transcriptions, some of which are published by Boosey and Hawkes and Theodore Presser. He performed The Bel Canto Piano I at the Italian Academy on March 13, 2025.
Marc began his series Keyed Up Music Project in New York City in 2010 to foster his relationships with collaborators and composers. He brings vibrant living American composers directly in touch with his listeners, creating programs that display his knack for making modern music accessible and entertaining. He also has a longstanding piano partnership with Roberto Hidalgo as the Split Second Piano Duo, an ensemble that presents and records programs highlighting the connection between music from Mexico and the United States. Described by The New York Times as “gifted, musically curious pianists, the performances were first rate.”
Marc Peloquin collaborated with the Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer David Del Tredici for two decades, performing, editing, and recording his piano music. A Gramophone review of the first disc, Gotham Glory, on the Naxos label stated: “A longtime Del Tredici champion and associate, Peloquin imbues these performances with idiomatic aplomb and a powerful yet flexible technique.” Marc’s three-disc set of volumes 2–4 was released by Albany Records in 2023. Marc is editor of Del Tredici’s Piano Album III and the piano quintet Ray’s Birthday Suit, both for Boosey and Hawkes. He is the executor of the estate of David Del Tredici.
Marc is a Resident Teaching Artist at the Bloomingdale School of Music in New York City and curator of the Faculty Concert Series. He is a former faculty member of The New School where he created innovative music courses in the department of Humanities. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Manhattan School of Music with additional studies at Boston University and The New England Conservatory.
Photo courtesy of the performer
