Thursday, February 20, 2020:
Nelson Freire regrets to have to withdraw from all of his concerts in the United States this spring due to his continuing recovery from a fall taken in November 2019. Duke Performances has cancelled Freire’s recital on Friday, April 3 at Baldwin Auditorium.

Tickets purchased with a credit card will be refunded to the card of purchase within 8-10 business days. Tickets purchased via check payment will receive a check reimbursement sent to the address on record within 6 weeks.

###

Often called the best-kept secret in the world of the piano, Nelson Freire is well-known to his dedicated fans for his musical maturity, warmth, and focus. He has garnered praise from Time as “one of the most exciting pianists of this or any age.” An international career blossomed after he left his native Brazil in 1957 at age 12, and he has since performed with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors.

Freire’s program at Baldwin Auditorium will confirm his plaudits. Mozart’s ingenious variations on a theme by Gluck put Freire’s classical technique on display, while Brahms’ Ballades, opus 10, allow him to navigate a key romantic genre. Polish-American pianist and composer Zygmunt Stojowski was highly regarded during his lifetime, and the first of his Poèmes for piano shows his melodic creativity. Two of Rachmaninoff’s opus 32 preludes weave space and density, while three Chopin works manipulate form and theme.

Mozart: 10 Variations on “Unser Dummer Pöbel Meint,” K. 455

Brahms: Ballades, op. 10

Andante in D Minor (After the Scottish ballad “Edward”)

Andante in D Major

Intermezzo, Allegro in B Minor

Andante Con Moto in B Major

Zygmunt Stojowski: Aspirations, Poèmes Pour Piano, op. 39

L’aspiration Vers L’azur (Prélude)

Rachmaninoff: Prelude in B Minor, op. 32, no.10

Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G-sharp Minor, op. 32, no. 12

Chopin: Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Chopin: Nocturne in E Major, op. 62, no. 2

Chopin: Scherzo, op. 20, no.1