Aug
26
Mon August 26th, 2019
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
Piano
Table Seating: $25 advance, $30 day of show
Standing Room: $20 advance, $25 day of show
Mr. Kigawa will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s last five sonatas: Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101; Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”; Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109; Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110; and Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111.
This event will offer a rare opportunity to hear Beethoven’s last five piano sonatas in a single recital.
Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas are part of Taka Kigawa’s staple repertoire. He has performed them many times throughout the world. Of his performance of Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111, Barry Cohen of the New Music Connoisseur wrote, “In Kigawa’s rendering, the first movement, with its strong three-note motto, subsequently borrowed by the likes of Schubert and Mahler, sounded here like a pronouncement of great import which leads to an emotionally heated discussion finally resolved in sensibility and reason. And Kigawa took the second movement (actually several movements in one) crisply and saw it as far, far removed from the first. The dancing phrases were there and even that delightfully syncopated passage which seems to foretell the age of jazz.”
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 August 2010 recital there 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.
The New York Times: “Kigawa has made a habit of taking on a bold program toward the end of the summer at Le Poisson Rouge. In past years, he has played everything from Messiaen’s “Catalogue d’Oiseaux” to the complete solo works of Pierre Boulez and the entirety of Bach’s “The Art of Fugue.” Monday’s program is especially bold. Plenty of other pianists have played Beethoven’s last three piano sonatas in one sitting, but Kigawa will play his last five, an expansion that means the evening will also include the massive “Hammerklavier.” I wouldn’t miss it.”
5 Classical Music Concerts to See in N.Y.C. This Weekend – The New York Times
The New Yorker: “A pianist of unshakable technique and considerable imagination, Taka Kigawa is most closely associated with the modern composers whose works he champions so persuasively: Boulez, Carter, Ligeti, Messiaen. Here, though, he turns his attention to modernism of another era, performing Beethoven’s last five sonatas, including the formidable “Hammerklavier” (Op. 106).”
Taka Kigawa | The New Yorker
Playbill: “One of NYC’s more eclectic downtown music venues hosts one of classical music’s more venturesome pianists in a nightclub setting, playing Beethoven’s late piano sonatas (Nos. 28-32).”
The August 2019 Classical Music Concerts to Attend in NYC | Playbill
Ticketing Policy
TABLE SEATING POLICY
Table seating for all seated shows is reserved exclusively for ticket holders who purchase “Table Seating” tickets. By purchasing a “Table Seating” ticket you agree to also purchase a minimum of two food and/or beverage items per person. Table seating is first come, first seated. Please arrive early for the best choice of available seats. Seating begins when doors open. Tables are communal so you may be seated with other patrons. We do not take table reservations.
A standing room area is available by the bar for all guests who purchase “Standing Room” tickets. Food and beverage can be purchased at the bar but there is no minimum purchase required in this area.
All tickets sales are final. No refund or credits.
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 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.