Aug
28
Mon August 28th, 2017
7:00PM
Main Space
Minimum Age: All Ages
Doors Open: 6:00PM
Show Time: 7:00PM
Event Ticket: $20 / $25
Day of Show: $25 / $30
Table Seating: $25 advance, $30 day of show
Standing Room: $20 advance, $25 day of show
This quietly industrious pianist, who has shown a consistent knack for conveying the most challenging works in the modern repertoire with an understated zeal, turns his attention to a longtime specialty, Messiaen’s “Catalogue d’Oiseaux” (1956-58). This sublime thirteen-part cycle not only compiles the distinct songs of specific birds but also evokes their natural traits, and the particular French provinces where they thrive.
—The New Yorker
The New York Times writer, Joshua Barone previews the concert, and interviews Taka Kigawa: The Pianist Taka Kigawa on Playing Messiaen’s Bird Marathon – The New York Times
The NY Times says this concert is one of the “10 Things to Do in NYC Now” – 10 Things to Do in NYC Now – The New York Times
The NY Times music critic, Zachary Woolfe previews the concert: At Le Poisson Rouge, Messiaen’s ‘Catalogue d’Oiseaux’: The World Refracted – The New York Times
Critically acclaimed pianist TAKA KIGAWA will present a solo piano recital at (le) Poisson Rouge on August 28, 2017, at 7:00 pm, performing Olivier Messiaen’s monumental piano cycle, Catalogue d’oiseaux (complete). Doors open at 6:00 pm.
Olivier Messiaen composed Catalogue d’oiseaux between October 1956 and September 1958. It consists of a series of highly imaginative, innovative, ingenious piano pieces, and represents the culmination of Messiaen’s compositional piano technique. At the same time, it magically evokes a variety of bird songs, landscapes, and atmospheric colors of nature. It consists of thirteen pieces in its seven books, with seventy-seven bird songs distributed throughout the thirteen pieces, and totals three hours of solo piano music. The Catalogue d’oiseaux has long been a singular specialty of Taka Kigawa’s. He has performed the work many times, receiving unanimous acclaim from both critics and audiences alike.
Taka Kigawa’s solo recitals at (Le) Poisson Rouge over the past several years have been resounding successes, receiving enormous critical acclaim from critics and audiences alike. His August 2012 recital at LPR, in which he performed J.S. Bach’s The Art of Fugue entirely from memory, broke the attendance record in the solo recital genre, a record it holds to this day. His recital there in August 2010 was chosen as the one of the best concerts of the year by The New York Times. His August 2011 recital was chosen by Musical America as one of the most notable concerts in the 2011-2012 season.
Taka Kigawa has steadily built his reputation as one of today’s most compelling young artists, renowned as much for his superb musicianship as for his courageous programming. The New York Times described him as “A phenomenon. There’s no denying that he’s something special.” Since winning First Prize in the 1990 Japan Music Foundation Competition in Tokyo, and the 1998 Diploma Prize at Concurs Internacional Maria Canals De Barcelona in Spain, he has performed extensively as a recitalist, a member of major chamber music ensembles, and soloist with orchestra in many prestigious venues worldwide, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Kosciuszko Foundation, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Cité de la Musique and Salle Gaveau in Paris, and Plau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona. He has collaborated closely with such renowned musicians as John Luther Adams, the late Pierre Boulez, Unsuk Chin, Myung-Whun Chung and Jonathan Nott. His performances and recordings have been broadcast over many television and radio networks, including WQXR-FM in New York. Mr. Kigawa received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Shinsyu University in Japan, and continued his studies in New York at The Juilliard School, where he holds a Master of Music degree.
PROGRAM:
Olivier Messiaen: Catalogue d’Oiseaux (Catalogue of Birds) (1956-1958)
Book 1
I. Le chocard des alpes (The alpine chough)
II. Le loriot (The golden oriole)
III. Le merle bleu (The blue rock thrush)
Book 2
IV. Le traquet stapazin (The black-eared wheatear)
Book 3
V. La chouette hulotte (The tawny owl)
VI. L’alouette lulu (The woodlark)
Book 4
VII. La rousserolle effarvatte (The reed warbler)
Book 5
VIII. L’alouette calandrelle (The short-toed lark)
IX. La bouscarle (The cetti’s warbler)
Book 6
X. Le merle de roche (The rock thrush)
Book 7
XI. La buse variable (The buzzard)
XII. Le traquet rieur (The black wheatear)
XIII. Le courlis cendré (The curlew)
Taka Kigawa
The critically acclaimed pianist TAKA KIGAWA has earned outstanding international recognition as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber music artist, performing extensively in New York City, Boston, Cleveland, Washington, DC, Barcelona, Milan, Paris and Buenos Aires, in Ireland, as well as throughout his native Japan, including the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagano and Osaka. He has also been a featured artist on television and radio networks in the United States, Europe and Asia. Taka’s current season includes his 23rd performance at New York City’s legendary (Le) Poisson Rouge, this time presenting the complete solo piano works of Pierre Boulez in commemoration of the centennial of the composer’s birth.
Taka Kigawa was awarded First Prize from the prestigious 1990 Japan Music Foundation Piano Competition in Tokyo and the Diploma Prize from Spain’s 1998 Concurs Internacional de Música Maria Canals Barcelona. His 2010 New York City recital was chosen by The New York Times as one of the best concerts of the year, while a subsequent 2011 recital was selected as one of the most notable concerts of the season by Musical America. His 2014 recital in Buenos Aires was named one of the best concerts of the year by Argentina’s leading newspaper, La Nación.
Possessing an extremely large and varied repertoire, ranging from the Baroque to the avant-garde, Taka Kigawa has collaborated closely with Pierre Boulez, Myung-Whun Chung and Jonathan Nott. He premiered the last solo piano work of jazz legend Yusef Lateef in New York City in 2013.
Taka Kigawa grew up in Nagano, Japan, where he began piano studies at the age of three, and won his first competition at the age of seven. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Shinsyu University and his Master of Arts degree from Tokyo Gakugei (Liberal Arts) University, graduating with honors in Piano Performance. During both his undergraduate and graduate years, Mr. Kigawa also studied composition and conducting, receiving high honors in both disciplines. He furthered his studies in the United States at The Juilliard School in New York City, where he was awarded a Master of Music degree.
Taka Kigawa is a Steinway Artist and resides in New York City.