Alexander Krichel ist einer der talentiertesten jungen Pianisten seiner Generation und entfacht überall, wo er auftritt, Begeisterung bei Presse und Publikum. Er überzeugt mit Virtuosität, Dynamik und musikalischer Intensität und bringt »das Klavier so zum Singen, wie man es nur selten hört. Tiefe, Sensibilität und Eleganz verschmelzen bei ihm zu vollkommener Schönheit, so dass man sich nicht satt hören kann« (Crescendo). Bereits sein Debütalbum wurde zum Bestseller und mit dem ECHO Klassik ausgezeichnet.

Despite its Dutch-sounding name, the quartet founded by Nicolas Van Kuijk in 2012 is French. But its short career is already international. The Quatuor Van Kuijk won First Prize in the 2015 Wigmore Hall Competition and First Prize and Audience Award at the Trondheim Interna- tional Chamber Competition, and its members have been named BBC New Generation Artists until 2017. It has also been distinguished by the Academy of the Festival d’Aix- en-Provence, and it is in the framework of the latter’s partnership with Alpha Classics that it has recorded this program.

Jos van Immerseel and Claire Chevallier have enjoyed a close collaboration for many years now. Like Jos van Immerseel, Claire Chevallier loves period pianos; like him, she is a researcher and possesses her own collection of keyboard instruments.

"The Fourth is Mahler’s most transparent and lyrical symphony – almost a chamber symphony. Probably also due to its rather reduced format, it has been received in unique and contradictory ways. Even during the time when international audiences had practically no knowledge of Mahler’s music, the Fourth remained relatively popular. Today it is regarded as less impressive than the First, Second, Third, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies; from my point of view, however, this stems from an unacceptable misunderstanding.

Named after the platinum-selling American winner of the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Cold War Moscow in 1958, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was established in 1962 and its gold medal is recognized as “one of the most prestigious prizes in classical music” (The Guardian). Every four years, winners are chosen by an esteemed panel of judges and awarded significant cash and other prizes, as well as three years of comprehensive career management and concert tours.

Park University International Center for Music graduate student Kenny Broberg, the silver medalist at the recently completed 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will perform in concert on Sunday, Sept. 10, at the historic Folly Theater in Kansas City, Mo. The performance begins at 4 p.m.

Characterized by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “poet…[with] an expressive edge to his playing that charms, questions, and coaxes,” Daniel Hsu is a fast-rising pianist who was recently named the bronze medalist at the 15th Van Cliburn international piano competition.

„With the wonderful Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra we are presently exploring Schuberts quatuor „Death and the maiden“. Of course we have to include Schubert’s earlier song with the same title on the poem of Matthias Claudius. This song belongs to the medieval tradition of the dance of death. Therefore we also play „Toden Tanz“ (with poor me dancing), an ancient death dance written up by the German organ player August Nörmiger (1560-1613).