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ALIVEmusica, a collaboration among leading Hudson Valley chamber music presenters, welcomes pianist Terrence Wilson streaming from the Howland Cultural Center.

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Howland Chamber Music Circle
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This concert is a co-presentation by
The Howland Chamber Music Circle
The Chapel Restoration
Newburgh Chamber Music
Pawling Concert Series
Classical WMHT media sponsor

“One of the biggest pianistic talents to have emerged in this country in the last 25 years” Baltimore Sun

Artist Website: Terrence Wilson

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Andante and Variations in f minor, Hob. XVII:6

Franz Liszt (1811-1886): Funèrailles (from “Harmonies Poétiques et Réligieuses”)

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): 4 Etudes tableaux from Op. 39
No. 1 in c minor — Allegro agitato
No. 2 in a minor — Lento assai
No. 5 in e-flat minor — Appassionato
No. 9 in D Major — Tempo di marcia

Program is subject to change

Zoom Reception Invitation

Please join us immediately following the concert for a reception to meet the artists. We’ll gather over Zoom among friends to meet and enjoy lively conversation. Send us an email to info@howlandmusic.org with the word ZOOM in the subject and we’ll send you an invitation to the party!

Notes by Dr. Natalie Wren

Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809), Andante and Variations in f minor, Hob. XVII:6
Haydn composed his Andante and Variations in F Minor, originally titled “un piccolo divertimento,” in 1793 for the renowned pianist Barbara “Babette” von Ployer. There is speculation, however, that he secretly dedicated the work to pianist Maria Anna von Genzinger, a woman who we believe was his great love, but died unexpectedly in 1793.

The piece comprises a double-set of variations of two alternating themes: a melancholy and deeply expressive melody in F minor, and a more hopeful and playful theme in F major. The Andante offers two variations for each theme before a feverish and intensely tragic coda concludes the piece with an outpouring of grief and eventual quiet surrender. As the music continually vacillates between F minor and major tonalities with sudden dynamic and thematic contrasts, Haydn maintains an air of uncertainty throughout the piece. Musicologist A. Peter Brown suggests that Haydn’s Andante presents “a microcosmic but complete view of Haydn’s late keyboard style,” with its delicate articulation, precise ornamentation, and an almost-Romantic approach to tone and harmony.

Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886, Funèrailles (from “Harmonies Poétiques et Réligieuses”)
“Funèrailles” is likely the most famous movement from Liszt’s set of ten pieces for piano, Harmonies poétiques et réligieuses, which he composed from 1845 to 1852. The entire suite was inspired by French writer Alphonse de Lamartine’s collection of poems of the same title. Liszt subtitled this sombre elegy as “October 1849,” in homage to the Hungarian revolutionaries killed in the Hungarian Uprising against the Hapsburgs. Specifically, the composer paints a profoundly moving portrait in honor of three friends who were all executed during that uprising.

Comprised of four sections, “Funèrailles” presents a profound turbulence and a nostalgic sweetness that perfectly reflects the breadth of emotions associated with loss. Beginning with the anguished chiming of funeral bells in the low register, a mournful melody meanders without direction, eventually leading into a beautifully introspective dance reminiscent of Frederic Chopin’s A-flat Polonaise. (Some say Liszt wrote this as a tribute to his friend Chopin, who also died in October of 1849.) The third section opens with a heroic fanfare and rumbling triplets in the left hand. The final section returns with the original lament above striking harmonic crashes, leading to a dramatic conclusion.

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943), 4 Etudes tableaux from Op. 39
No. 1 in c minor – Allegro agitato
No. 2 in a minor – Lento assai
No. 5 in e-flat minor – Appassionato
No. 9 in D Major – Tempo di marcia

The nine etudes-tableaux from Rachmaninoff’s opus 39 are the last works the composer wrote in Russia. Following the October Revolution of 1917, Rachmaninoff fled the country with his wife and daughters, eventually landing in the United States. While he titled this set of pieces as etudes-tableaux (study-pictures), these imaginative and beautifully designed miniatures can hardly be categorized as merely etudes. Full of rich impressionist colors and flamboyant virtuosity, each vignette is an elegantly crafted painting with its own unique character.

The four etude-tableaux on this evening’s program reflect the composer’s masterful range of emotions, from peaceful to passionate, from tempestuous to triumphant. While Rachmaninoff admitted that he often had a story or image in mind for his compositions, he also said, “I do not believe in the artist disclosing too much of his images. Let them paint for themselves what it most suggests.”

Acclaimed by the Baltimore Sun as “one of the biggest pianistic talents to have emerged in this country in the last 25 years” pianist Terrence Wilson has appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Washington, DC (National Symphony), San Francisco, St. Louis, and with the orchestras of Cleveland, Minnesota, and Philadelphia and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Conductors with whom he has worked include Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, Neeme Järvi, Jesús López-Cobos, Lawrence Renes, Robert Spano, Yuri Temirkanov, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and Gunther Herbig.

Abroad, Terrence Wilson has played concerti with such ensembles as the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland, the Malaysian Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He has toured with orchestras in the US and abroad, including a tour of the US with the Sofia Festival Orchestra (Bulgaria) and in Europe with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuri Temirkanov.

An active recitalist, Terrence Wilson made his New York City recital debut at the 92nd Street Y, and his Washington, DC recital debut at the Kennedy Center. In Europe he has given recitals at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, the Louvre in Paris, and countless other major venues. In the US he has given recitals at Lincoln Center in New York City (both Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall), the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Caramoor Festival in Katonah, NY, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, and for the La Jolla Chamber Music Society. An avid chamber musician, he performs regularly with the Ritz Chamber Players. Festival appearances include the Blossom Festival, Tanglewood, Wolf Trap, with the San Francisco Symphony at Stern Grove Park, and an appearance with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra on July 4, 2015 before an audience of over fifteen thousand.

During the 2017-2018 season, Terrence Wilson appeared as guest soloist with the Alabama Symphony and made his debut with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He also made his debut with the Richmond Symphony in performances of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. Other highlights of the season included a return appearance with the New Jersey Symphony, and chamber music performances with the Ritz Chamber Players in Jacksonville, Florida.

In the 2018-2019 season, Wilson returns as guest soloist with the Omaha Symphony, gives his debut performance with the Hilton Head Symphony, and performs recitals of the complete sets of Rachmaninoff’s Études Tableaux Op. 33 and Op. 39 in advance of a recording of both sets. He will also appear with the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia.

Also on the horizon for the coming seasons is the commission, premiere performance and recording of a new solo piano work by American composer Michael Daugherty.

Terrence Wilson has received numerous awards and prizes, including the SONY ES Award for Musical Excellence, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and the Juilliard Petschek Award. He has also been featured on several radio and television broadcasts, including NPR’s “Performance Today,” WQXR radio in New York, and programs on the BRAVO Network, the Arts & Entertainment Network, public television, and as a guest on late night network television. In 2011, Wilson was nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best Instrumental Soloist With an Orchestra” for his (world premiere) recording with the Nashville Symphony conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero of Michael Daugherty’s Deus ex Machina for piano and orchestra – written for Wilson in 2007.

In the spring of 2021, Terrence Wilson was appointed to the piano faculty at Bard College Conservatory of Music in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.

Terrence Wilson is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky. He has also enjoyed the invaluable mentorship of the Romanian pianist and teacher Zitta Zohar. A native of the Bronx, he resides in Montclair, New Jersey.