Orpheus & Jeremy Denk

Pianist Jeremy Denk revels in the same ethos of curiosity and collaboration that powers Orpheus, and you can always count on him to find new flashes of inspiration within a cherished masterpiece like Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto, drawing on the “fiendish technique and expressive iconoclasm you’d expect from one of today’s classical superstars” (The Guardian). Gustav Mahler’s lush arrangement of Beethoven’s “Serioso” string quartet and a new orchestration of Beethoven’s “Pathétique” piano sonata make this a can’t-miss concert.

Program

• Beethoven/Wadsworth: Allegretto from Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2, “The Tempest”
• Beethoven/Wilson: Adagio molto e maestoso from String Quartet Op. 59 No. 1 “Razumovsky”
• Beethoven/Hong: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, “Pathetique”
• INTERMISSION
• Beethoven: Concerto No 1 for Piano, in C major, Op 15

About Jeremy Denk

Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists, proclaimed by The New York Times as “a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs”. Also a New York Times bestselling author, Jeremy is the recipient of both the MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In the 2024/25 season, Jeremy continues his collaboration with longtime musical partners Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis, with performances at the Tsindali Festival and Wigmore Hall, following on from his multi-concert artist residency at the Wigmore in 2023/24. He also returns to the Lammermuir Festival in multiple performances, including the complete Ives violin sonatas with Maria Wloszczowska, and a solo recital featuring female composers from the past to the present day. He performs this same solo program on tour across the US, as well as continuing his exploration of Bach in ongoing performances of the complete Partitas. Jeremy is known for his interpretations of the music of American visionary Charles Ives, and in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth, Nonesuch Records will release a collection of his Ives recordings later this year.

Jeremy has performed frequently at Carnegie Hall, and in recent years has worked with such orchestras as Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony. Meanwhile, he has performed multiple times at the BBC Proms and Klavierfestival Ruhr, and appeared in such halls as the Köln Philharmonie, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Boulez Saal in Berlin. He has also performed extensively across the UK, including recently with the London Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Denk is also known for his original and insightful writing on music, which Alex Ross praises for its “arresting sensitivity and wit.” His New York Times Bestselling memoir, Every Good Boy Does Fine was published to universal acclaim by Random House in 2022. Meanwhile, his latest album of Mozart piano concertos was deemed “urgent and essential” by BBC Radio 3, while his recording of the Goldberg Variations reached No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Charts.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a radical experiment in musical democracy, proving for over fifty years what happens when exceptional artists gather with total trust in each other and faith in the creative process. Orpheus began in 1972 when cellist Julian Fifer assembled a group of New York freelancers in their early twenties to play orchestral repertoire as if it were chamber music. In that age of co-ops and communes, the idealistic Orpheans snubbed the “corporate” path of symphony orchestras and learned how to play, plan, and promote concerts as a true collective, with leadership roles rotating from the very first performance. It’s one thing for the four players of a string quartet to lean into the group sound and react spontaneously, but with 20 to 30 musicians together, the complexities and payoffs are magnified exponentially. Within its first decade, Orpheus made Carnegie Hall their home and became a global sensation through tours of Europe and Asia.

Ticket & Visitor Information

For assistance and to make purchases by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706. The ticket price includes a non-refundable $3.00 service fee. Programs are subject to change.

This performance is generously underwritten by Laurie and Richard F. Brueckner.

Image credit: Photo by Shervin Lainez.