Festival Concert Programs
After Mozart and Beethoven established the piano as an essential force in classical music, Russian and French Romantic composers took the instrument to the next level. Yet these distinct cultures sought profoundly different sounds: Anton Arensky and Sergei Rachmaninov bared the powerful soul of Russia, while Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy reveled in ethereal pleasures. Debussy’s iconic Jeux (Games) for orchestra is performed by eminent French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (who arranged the work for two pianos) and Van Cliburn Competition prizewinner Anna Geniushene.