CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Internationally acclaimed pianist and conductor Ian Hobson, the Swanlund Professor of Piano and the Center for Advanced Studies Professor of Music in the School of Music at the University of Illinois, will perform a series of 10 concerts in New York City beginning in August as a tribute to two of the world's greatest composers.
The concert series, "The Heritage and Legacy of Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) and Robert Schumann (1810-1856): A Series of Ten Piano Recitals," to be held at the DiCapo Opera Theatre, will celebrate the bicentenary of Chopin and Schumann's births. David Dubal, a noted author, radio host and pianist who is on the faculties of the Julliard School and the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, will provide historical commentary.
Hobson is commemorating Chopin's birth with other projects as well, including a 16-volume set of recordings comprising Chopin's complete works. The first few volumes were released in late 2009, the actual bicentenary of Chopin's birth, and the remaining volumes are to be released throughout 2010. Hobson is performing selected works from the retrospective during a series of recitals in Lockport, Ill., which run through December.
Among the more than 60 recordings Hobson has released during his career are the complete piano sonatas of Schumann and Beethoven, released in 1993 and 1999, respectively.
One of the youngest graduates of the Royal Academy of Music, Hobson won the U.S. National Chopin Competition in 1975 and that same year competed in the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, which is held every five years.
In 1981, Hobson won the Leeds International Piano Competition.
Sought after as a conductor as well as a solo pianist, Hobson has served as a juror for many competitions, including the U.S. National Chopin Competition and the Schumann International Competition in Germany, and he chaired the jury for the June 2010 New York International Piano Competition.
Dubal is the author of several books about classical music, composers and performers and was the host of weekly programs on classical music radio stations in New York City. His video, "The Golden Age of Piano," won an Emmy Award, and his radio work was recognized with one of the inaugural Deems Taylor awards for broadcasting and with a George Foster Peabody Award.
The recital series opens Aug. 24 with Hobson performing Chopin's "Impromptu No. 2 in F sharp major, Op. 36," and "Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. Posth. 66," Schumann's "Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26," and works by Beethoven and Ignaz Moscheles.
The dates and complete repertoire for the series, which continues through Nov. 18, are available on the School of Music website.
Tickets, which will be available through Smart Tix at www.smarttix.com, are $30 for a single performance, $75 for a series of three, or $150 for all 10 recitals.
The DiCapo Opera Theatre is at 184 E. 76th St. in New York City.
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