The Ravinia Festival will present a rarity at 6 p.m. on August 20: a piano recital in which the entire second half is devoted to improvisation. Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero will perform works by Brahms and Schumann on the first half, and then take suggestions from the audience of themes on which she will weave her mesmerizing improvisations.
Montero performed a similar program at Chamberfest Ottawa earlier this summer. The Toronto Star found her improvisations "fascinating, frequently beautiful, and certainly thought-provoking."
Classicalite heard her at Ravinia last summer, where she improvised a melody on several notes sung by an audience member, transforming the simple theme into, among other things, a fugue and a tango. Her performance called to mind a scene from the movie Amadeus, where Mozart improvises a far superior version of a clavier piece by the hapless Salieri.
Montero also brought to mind the great piano virtuosi of the past, for whom improvisation was an integral part of their performances. Jaw-dropping improvisations like Montero's are rarely heard today, which is a shame.
And now you can hear both Gabriela Montero and her piano at Ravinia, located just north of Chicago, Ill., for the price of a movie.
Some of Montero's improvisations have been captured on video, such as this one on a theme from Harry Potter.
Click HERE to order your Gabriela Montero tickets.
Ravinia's $10 concert series continues with three more performances this summer:
"Sondheim Reimagined" with pianist Anthony De Mare on August 25
Johnny Gandelsman, violin, on September 3
KahaneSwensenBrey Trio, September 8
Follow this link to purchase tickets for the remaning concerts on Ravinia's $10 concert series: https://www.ravinia.org/10dollarbghseries.aspx.
