Program
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Capriccio in F-sharp Minor, Op. 76, No. 1
Capriccio in B Minor, Op. 76, No. 2
Intermezzo in E Major, Op. 116, No. 4
Intermezzo in C Major, Op. 119, No. 3
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Concert Etude in F Minor, “La leggierezza”
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Polonaise-Fantasie in A-flat Major, Op. 61
Etude in G-flat Major, Op. 10, No. 5
Etude in C Major, Op. 10, No. 7
Etude in A Minor, Op. 25, No. 11
About the artist
Pianist Robert Schwartz has earned an international reputation as a remarkable artist whose powerful performances are marked by poetry, insight and technical mastery of his instrument. Known for putting together challenging programs of great dramatic range, he plays actively around the globe and is a sought-after performer here in the Bay Area.
Schwartz is equally at home playing large-scale works and more poetic repertoire. He has recently received praise for his Liszt B minor Sonata and regularly performs all twelve pieces of Albeniz’s Iberia. He also often programs the more intimate pieces of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Schwartz has always had a special affinity for French music which led to his winning the Ravel Prize at the Marguerite Long International Competition in Paris. His CD of works by Debussy, Franck and Poulenc has garnered accolades.
Mr. Schwartz’s concerts and master classes have taken him to many U.S. cities, including New York, Boston, Houston, Portland, Memphis and Dallas. He has given concerts and master classes at festivals in Argentina, China, France, Switzerland and Austria and has had a profound influence on a generation of young musicians.
Standout performances in and around the Bay Area include Mozart’s D Minor Concerto with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with the Redding Symphony and solo recitals at San Francisco Performances, the Mendocino Music Festival, the Steinway Society in San Jose and Old First Concerts in San Francisco. Schwartz participates regularly in gala Liszt and Chopin concerts at Old First Church in San Francisco and, most recently in the Debussy Centennial Concerts.
Schwartz is an active master piano teacher in San Francisco and considers teaching an essential part of his musical life. He has an extensive private teaching studio and is on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Mills College in Oakland.
