Yale Daily News

The Horowitz Piano Series at Yale, founded in 2000 to honor Vladimir Horowitz’s legacy at Yale, will open this season with a mix of guest artists, faculty recitals and a special concert dedicated to the memory of pianist and Yale professor Claude Frank.

The season opens with visiting piano professor Alexander Korsantia, who began teaching this semester. The Georgian pianist was approached last spring with the offer to deliver the first recital of this year’s series. 

“There are big shoes to fill, because they are extraordinary artists who have been playing and still are playing in the series. It has a beautiful, long-standing name,” he said.

Korsantia’s recital will showcase a diverse program, from Joseph Haydn’s first published sonata to Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 5 and Franz Schubert’s Sonata in G Major, D.894. The centerpiece is his own transcription of Igor Stravinsky’s “Petrushka,” featuring tambourines and harmonica to replicate orchestral color. Korsantia noted that Stravinsky first drafted the ballet at the piano, making his transcription an intuitive process. 

To make the transcription work, Korsantia made cuts in repetitive sections since much of the ballet score functions as incidental stage music. 

“I was very careful to make sure no important themes or musical material were lost,” he said. 

His version keeps all six “pictures” of the ballet but runs about 22 minutes, instead of the full 30 minutes. 

Unique to this season, the Horowitz Series will present a centennial celebration of Frank on Dec. 3. Frank, who taught at Yale for 33 years, was both a renowned pianist and an influential teacher. Pianist Boris Berman, artistic director of the Horowitz series, described Frank as “one of the very great people who graced this school.”

The concert will feature faculty performances of Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Schubert’s “Fantasy for Four Hands.” Guest artist Richard Goode, renowned for his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, will perform Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 109.

The evening will conclude with an archival screening of Frank’s 1960s performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a rare recording that even Berman had not heard until recently.

“It’s the nature of our profession that somebody leaves the stage or leaves this world, and his name is quickly forgotten,” Berman said. “We would like to honor Claude Frank’s artistry so that his name will be appropriately remembered.” 

This season also continues the tradition of bringing internationally acclaimed pianists to Yale. Goode and Paul Lewis, two of the most respected living interpreters of classical period piano repertoire, will share their music in Morse Hall. Lewis will perform a program of Thomas Larcher’s Piano Sonata, Beethoven’s Sonatas Op. 10 No. 1 and Op. 111, and Brahms’ Three Intermezzi Op. 117 on Nov. 11. 

Berman emphasized that the selection of guest musicians was an intentional process, which included a focus on artistry that will resonate with students.

“There is no shortage of people who can play well, but we want somebody who will inspire our students to become better musicians,” Berman said.

Daniel Wang ’27, co-president of the Yale Undergraduate Piano Collective, confirmed these sentiments, sharing how the Horowitz Series has served as a major source of inspiration for young pianists at Yale. 

“I’ve discovered exciting repertoire I otherwise would never have encountered and been inspired by every single artist I’ve watched,” he said.

Alongside guest performers, the Horowitz Series highlights Yale’s own pianists. On Oct. 15, professor of piano Wei-Yi Yang will present a recital of Robert Schumann, Niccolò Paganini, Anton Webern and Schubert. Later in the year, faculty members Melvin Chen, Robert Blocker and Berman will take the stage with their own recitals, each bringing new repertoire to the series.

Tickets for the concerts are typically $31. Yale faculty and staff can purchase tickets for $23, and students can buy them for $12.