From classical to jazz, you can hear a whole slew of piano masters at UChicago Presents this season. Sign up now for a Pick 4 or Pick 6 subscription package and save 20-25% on the world's greatest music.
Duo Tal & Groethuysen: Two Pianos, Four Hands
The Israeli pianist Yaara Tal and her German partner Andreas Groethuysen together make up one of the world's leading piano duos. This January, they bring piano and orchestral masterpieces by Mozart, Schubert, Wagner, Debussy, and Strauss for a rare two piano performance in Mandel Hall.
Craig Taborn and Kris Davis, pianos
"No two pianists have played with the kind of freedom and grace, abandon and emotion," writes The Village Voice of this mastermind piano duo, whose technical brilliance and improvisational genius are matched only by their perfect synchronicity. Together, they weave pianistic tapestries that range from vivid and propulsive to staggeringly ethereal.
Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber: Songs of Gustav Mahler
With a partnership going back more than three decades, Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber have developed a personal chemistry rarely seen on stage. When the two perform together, they present what Gerhaher calls "vocal chamber music." Here, the duo's relationship is on full display in a performance of Gustav Mahler's lieder.
Fred Hersch, piano, and Julian Lage, guitar
Though they stand a generation apart, guitarist Julian Lage and pianist Fred Hersch are a well-matched pair. The brilliantly subtle and inventive Hersch engages the fleet-fingered, melodic master Lage in an improvisational duologue through a program of jazz standards and selections from their own catalogues.
The Montrose Trio
In a tribute to Beethoven's 250th anniversary, the Montrose Trio featuring pianist Jon Kimura Parker performs the monumental composer's "Archduke" trio alongside Schubert's Trio No. 1.
Vijay Iyer Trio and guests - Ghosts Everywhere I go: The Arches Project
The prolific pianist and composer Vijay Iyer is an irrefutable force in modern music who innovates across different musical traditions. In the world premiere of a new work inspired by the writings of local poet Eve Ewing, Iyer's trio is joined by some of Chicago's most dynamic and like-minded improvisers to pay tribute to their hometown.