Carnegie Hall

Mao Fujita’s Carnegie Hall recitals are acclaimed for their rare balance of “technical prowess and poetic sensitivity” (Bachtrack). Fujita’s program selections can be similarly described. Tonight’s recital features Beethoven’s and Brahms’s essential first piano sonatas alongside a series of shorter works brimming with surprises. Berg’s Twelve Variations receive their Carnegie Hall premiere, showcasing the early experiments of a singular musical innovator. Felix Mendelssohn’s virtuosic Variations sérieuses explore a single theme across 17 variations in amazingly economical fashion. The program's second Carnegie Hall premiere is a lovely and unexpected short work by Wagner, whose climactic Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde is also featured in a spectacular solo arrangement by Liszt.