Piano recital

Pianist Leon McCawley is known, among other things, for his highly acclaimed releases featuring piano music by Frédéric Chopin, Samuel Barber (Critics’ Choice in Gramophone), and Johannes Brahms (Classic FM CD of the Week). In this recital, McCawley presents some of his long-standing favorites by the composers and pianists Franz Liszt, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, and César Franck. While the recital focuses on 19th-century composers, the program begins and ends with a nod to Johann Sebastian Bach. One of the famous "outtakes" in music history is Beethoven’s “Andante favori.” He originally intended it to be the slow movement of his “Waldstein” Sonata, but replaced it with a shorter Adagio titled “Introduzione.” However, he had developed a fondness for the piece and published it as a stand-alone work, which he frequently played in later concerts. In this compelling program, Leon McCawley pairs it with the “Waldstein” Sonata. Leon McCawley concludes his beautifully curated recital with the Prelude, Chorale and Fugue for solo piano by César Franck. Franck was a trained pianist, but served as organist at the Paris church of Sainte-Clotilde from 1858 until his death in 1890. Inspired by the rich, orchestral sound of the Cavaillé-Coll organ there, he developed a grand, improvisational style of piano playing that was harmonically influenced by Bach, yet thoroughly romantic in its expression.