The Claudia and David Hatcher Series
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Event details
- Saturday | February 24 | 8:00 PM
- Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center
- 501 Texas Ave. Houston TX 77002
- 713-524-5050 | boxoffice@dacamera.com
“She played beautifully…Calmly commanding throughout, she was also unfailingly subtle.”
— The New York Times
Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 60 in C Major, Hob. XVI:50
Fanny Mendelssohn: Easter Sonata (Houston premiere)
Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op.15
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58
The eldest of the famed British musical family of seven musical prodigies, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason possesses dazzling technical skills and spellbinding musicality that have propelled the young musician into the international spotlight. She makes her Houston debut at DACAMERA in a recital featuring an equally exciting Houston premiere: Fanny Mendelssohn’s “Easter” Sonata – first lost for 150 years, then, when found, mistakenly attributed to her brother Felix, and finally recognized as her own and premiered in her name in 2012 – heard now for the first time live on the DACAMERA stage. Kanneh-Mason performs Mendelssohn’s sonata with works by two of Fanny Mendelssohn’s Romantic contemporaries: Schumann’s intimate “Scenes from Childhood” and the virtuosic final piano sonata of Chopin.
“brilliant…Kanneh-Mason unveiled a variety of interpretive resources designed to lend heft and beauty to any repertoire she sets her mind to.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“She played beautifully…Calmly commanding throughout, she was also unfailingly subtle.” — The New York Times
*****
Focus on Fanny Mendelssohn: New Documentary Screening February 23
Mercury Studios has released a new feature documentary, Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn, directed by the composer’s great, great, great granddaughter, BAFTA-winning filmmaker Sheila Hayman, starring pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and featuring fellow Fanny Mendelssohn champion Sarah Rothenberg, whose U.S. premiere and recording of Das Jahr contributed to the revival of interest in Fanny Mendelssohn. “a great story of a long-overdue revival…overdue recognition for a groundbreaking genius” — The Guardian. Watch the trailer.
Mark your calendar for the February 23 Houston premiere screening at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, paired with a panel discussion with the director, Rothenberg and musicologist Marcia Citron.
Listen to Sarah Rothenberg play Fanny Mendelssohn on YouTube here and here and on Spotify.
*****
Recommended Concerts
Beethoven for All: Piano Sonatas Part I
- Monday, December 4, 7:30 pm
- The Menil Collection
Pianists Andrew Staupe and Mei Rui kick off DACAMERA’s free Beethoven for All series with sonatas including Beethoven’s first, the Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2, No. 1.
This event is at capacity and we are no longer accepting reservations. On the day of the performance, additional walk-up seating may be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7:00 PM; unfilled seats released at 7:20 PM.
Elias String Quartet; Sarah Rothenberg, piano
- Friday | February 9 | 7:30 PM
- Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
The intense, vibrant Elias Quartet returns to the DACAMERA stage for one night only following their historic Beethoven string quartet cycle in 2022. Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg joins the quartet for Brahms’ majestic Piano Quintet. We celebrate composer Fanny Mendelssohn with her rhapsodic Quartet in E-flat Major, one of the first surviving string quartets by a woman.
Daniil Trifonov, piano
- Friday | March 22 | 8:00 PM
- Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center
Grammy Award-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov, Musical America’s 2019 Artist of the Year, is “Without question, the most astounding pianist of our age,” says The Times of London.
