San Francisco, CA
Presented by San Francisco Performances
October 4, 2012
featuring Carey Bell, clarinet; Scott St. John, viola; Mark Padmore, tenor
SCHUMANN  - Marchenerzahlungen Op. 132
KURTÁG  - Hommage à Robert Schumann
BEETHOVEN –  An Die ferne Geliebte Op. 98
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

San Francisco, CA
Presented by San Francisco Performances
October 6, 2012
featuring Mark Padmore, tenor
SCHUMANN  -  Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133
BERG   –  Sieben Frühe Lieder
SCHUBERT  -  Heine songs, from Schwanengesang
SCHUMANN  -  Dichterliebe Op.48

Wigmore Hall; London, UK
October 11, 2012
featuring Mark Padmore, tenor; Camilla Tilling, soprano
SCHUMANN  -  Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133
BERG   –  Sieben Frühe Lieder
SCHUBERT  -  Heine songs, from Schwanengesang
SCHUMANN  -  Dichterliebe Op.48

Teatro della Pergola; Florence, Italy
Presented by Amici della Musica
October 14, 2012
featuring Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Mark Padmore, tenor
SCHUMANN  - Marchenerzahlungen Op. 132
KURTÁG  -  Hommage à Robert Schumann
BEETHOVEN  -  An Die ferne Geliebte Op. 98
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

Concertgebouw; Amsterdam, The Netherlands
October 16, 2012
featuring Mark Padmore, tenor; Camilla Tilling, soprano
SCHUMANN  -  Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133
BERG   –  Sieben Frühe Lieder
SCHUBERT  -  Heine songs, from Schwanengesang
SCHUMANN  -  Dichterliebe Op.48

Concertgebouw; Amsterdam, The Netherlands
October 17, 2012
featuring Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Mark Padmore, tenor
SCHUMANN  -  Marchenerzahlungen Op. 132
KURTÁG  -  Hommage à Robert Schumann
BEETHOVEN  -  An Die ferne Geliebte Op. 98
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

Wigmore Hall; London, UK
October 19, 2012
featuring Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Mark Padmore, tenor
SCHUMANN  -  Marchenerzahlungen Op. 132
KURTÁG  -  Hommage à Robert Schumann
BEETHOVEN  -  An Die ferne Geliebte Op. 98
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

Jersey Arts Center; Jersey, Channel Islands
October 22, 2012
SCHUMANN  -   Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133
BERG   –  Piano Sonata Op. 1
BEETHOVEN  -  Piano Sonata, No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 Moonlight
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

deSingel International Arts Campus; Antwerp, Belgium
October 24, 2012
SCHUMANN  -  Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133
BERG – Piano Sonata Op. 1
BEETHOVEN  -  Piano Sonata, No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 Moonlight
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

Rudolfiunum – Dvorak Hall; Prague, Czech Republic
October 27, 2012
SCHUMANN  -  Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133
BERG – Piano Sonata Op. 1
BEETHOVEN  -  Piano Sonata, No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 Moonlight
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

Kansas, City, KS
Presented by Friends of Chamber Music
November 2, 2012
SCHUMANN  -  Gesänge der Frühe Op 133
BERG  -  Piano Sonata, Op. 1
BEETHOVEN  -  Fantasy for solo piano, Op. 77
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

Amherst College; Amherst, MA
November 4, 2012
SCHUMANN  -  Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133
BERG – Piano Sonata Op. 1
BEETHOVEN  -  Piano Sonata, No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 Moonlight
SCHUMANN  -  Fantasy in C Major Op. 17

Prague, Czech Republic
Presented by the Prague Philharmonia
January 23, 2013
featuring the Prague Philharmonia, Jakub Hrůša
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54

Stockholm, Sweden
Presented by the Swedish Radio Symphony
January 31, February 1, 2013 
featuring the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Susanna Mälkki
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54

Trieste, Italy
La Società dei Concerti di Trieste
February 3, 2013
SCHUMANN Phantasiestücke Op. 12
MOZART  -  Adagio in B minor, K. 540
BERG  -  Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Aschaffenburg, Germany
Presented by Stadttheater Aschaffenburg
February 6, 2013
SCHUMANN Phantasiestücke Op. 12
MOZART  -  Adagio in B minor, K. 511
BERG  -  Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Florence, Italy
Presented by Amici della Musica
February 9, 2013
SCHUMANN Phantasiestücke Op. 12
MOZART  -  Adagio in B minor, K. 511
BERG  -  Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Padova, Italy
Presented by Amici della Musica di Padova
February 11, 2013
SCHUMANN Phantasiestücke Op. 12
MOZART  -  Adagio in B minor, K. 511
BERG  -  Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Philadelphia, PA
Presented by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
March 6, 2013
SCHUMANN  - Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
MOZART  -  Minuet in D Major for piano
MOZART  -  Adagio for Piano in B minor
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Kansas City, KA
Presented by Friends of Chamber Music
March 8, 2013
SCHUMANN  - Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
MOZART  -  Minuet in D Major for piano
MOZART  -  Adagio for Piano in B minor
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Orono, ME
Presented by Collins Center for the Arts
March 10, 2013
SCHUMANN  - Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
MOZART  -  Minuet in D Major for piano
MOZART  -  Adagio for Piano in B minor
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Carnegie Hall; New York, NY
March 12, 2013
SCHUMANN  - Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
MOZART  -  Minuet in D Major for piano
MOZART  -  Adagio for Piano in B minor
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Cedar Rapids, IA
Presented by Coe College Marquis Series
March 15, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

San Francisco, CA
Presented by San Francisco Performances
March 17, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Calgary, Canada
Presented by Honens Presents
March 19, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Boston, MA
Presented by Celebrity Series Boston
March 22, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Toronto, Canada
Presented by The Royal Conservatory
March 24, 2012
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Costa Mesa, CA
Presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts
March 27, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
PURCELL  -  Fantasias
SCHUMANN  -  String Quartet in A minor Op. 41
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

San Francisco, CA
Presented by San Francisco Performances
March 29, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
PURCELL  -  Fantasias
SCHUMANN  -  String Quartet in A minor Op. 41
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

Carnegie Hall; New York, NY
April 2, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
MOZART  -  Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major
JANÁČEK  -  String Quartet No. 2, Intimate Letters
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

Kansas City, KS
Presented by Friends of Chamber Music
April 5, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
MOZART  -  Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major
JANÁČEK  -  String Quartet No. 2, Intimate Letters
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

Kansas City, KS
Presented by Friends of Chamber Music
April 6, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet; soloists Carol McGonnell, clarinet; Eric Reed, horn; Brad Balliet, bassoon
JANÁČEK  -  Concertino for Piano and Chamber Ensemble
MOZART  -  Piano Concerto No. 13 in c Major
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quintet in E-flat Major Op. 44

Carnegie Hall; New York, NY
April 10, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet; soloists Carol McGonnell, clarinet; Eric Reed, horn; Brad Balliet, bassoon
JANÁČEK  -  Concertino for Piano and Chamber Ensemble
MOZART  -  Piano Concerto No. 13 in c Major
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quintet in E-flat Major Op. 44

Portland, OR
Presented by Portland Ovations
April 11, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
PURCELL  -  Fantasias
SCHUMANN  -  String Quartet in A minor Op. 41
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

Boston, MA
Presented by Celebrity Series Boston
April 12, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
PURCELL  -  Fantasias
SCHUMANN  -  String Quartet in A minor Op. 41
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

Philadelphia, PA
Presented by the Philadelphia Orchestra
April 25, 26, 27, 2013
featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra
SCHUMANN – Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54

Belgium
Presented by Orchestra National de Belgique
May 2-5, 2013
featuring Orchestre National de Belgique
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54

Lyon, France
Presented by Salle Moliere
May 6, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Cambridge, UK
Presented by Cambridge University
May 10, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Oxford, UK
Presented by St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford
May 11, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Wigmore Hall; London, UK
May 14, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
PURCELL  -  Fantasias
SCHUMANN  -  String Quartet in A minor Op. 41
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

Wigmore Hall; London, UK
May 22, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

Hamburg, Germany
Presented by Laeiszhalle Hamburg
May 23, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
PURCELL  -  Fantasias
SCHUMANN  -  String Quartet in A minor Op. 41
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

Concertgebouw; Amsterdam, The Netherlands
May 24, 2013
featuring Elias String Quartet
PURCELL  -  Fantasias
SCHUMANN  -  String Quartet in A minor Op. 41
ANDRES  -  New Work
SCHUMANN  -  Piano Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 47

Concertgebouw; Amsterdam, The Netherlands
May 26, 2013
SCHUMANN  -  Phantasiestücke Op. 12
JANÁČEK  -  Selections from Along an Overgrown Path
BERG – Piano Sonata, Op. 1
SCHUMANN  -  Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6

San Francisco, CA
Presented by the San Francisco Symphony
June 13, 14, 15, 2013
featuring San Francisco Symphony, Roberto Abbado
SCHUMANN – Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54

Jonathan Biss appeared on our piano series in 2007 and was immediately reengaged for 2009.  Following his second exceptional recital, I asked him if he would be willing to create a four concert project around a theme of his choosing with artists of his choice.   I had always wanted to have such a “perspectives series a la Carnegie Hall” for San Francisco Performances, and I believed that Jonathan’s insightful and mature musicality and extraordinary artistry would be ideal for such an important undertaking.  And now we can look forward to experiencing the result: an inspired concert series entitled “Schumann: Under the Influence”  that also features the San Francisco debuts of tenor Mark Padmore, the Elias Quartet and the world premiere of a quintet by composer Timothy Andres, which we have co-commissioned with Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall.

-Ruth Felt, San Francisco Performances

Besides the fact that this project involves world-class artists like Jonathan Biss and the Elias String Quartet, we suppose one of the attractions of this project is the chance for the listener to immerse his/herself in the magical languages of Mozart, Schumann, and Janacek. Though all worked in distinct and unique styles, their works are united in a sense of fantasy – a type of naïve wonder, celebration, and joy in the small details and even eccentricities of life. Jonathan has assembled truly beautiful programs: understated, elegant and almost certainly deeply affecting, which reflect his strengths and values as a musician.

-Carnegie Hall

June 4, 2012

Jonathan Biss Announces Schumann: Under the Influence, an international initiative of over 30 concerts examining the works of Robert Schumann 

Performances in London, Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Kansas City

Collaborations with tenor Mark Padmore, soprano Camilla Tilling, violist Kim Kashkashian, clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois, violist Scott St. John, clarinetist Carey Bell, and the Elias String Quartet

With over 30 concerts throughout Europe and North America over an eight month span, Schumann: Under the Influence is a season-long exploration of the composer’s role in musical history. Pianist Jonathan Biss and several hand-picked collaborators will perform Schumann’s work, music by his notable influences such as Beethoven, Schubert, and Purcell, and selections from his long list of successors ranging from Berg and Janáček to 26-year-old composer Timothy Andres. As Biss explains, “This series of concerts takes a deeply affectionate look at the man whose music I find so endlessly fascinating and moving, and attempts to ‘place’ him–to explore the rather complex relationship he has with the composers who inspired him, and to show on every level how poor indeed we would be without him, his music, and his legacy.”

The initiative is unique among presenters and soloists. Biss personally curated each concert with a mind towards creating a complete whole. He notes, “The impetus for Schumann: Under the Influence was–of course–Schumann’s music itself. My feelings for this music go beyond love, though there’s also plenty of that: silly as it may sound, I feel somehow protective of him. This is first of all because his music is so deeply personal and achingly vulnerable, it tends to inspire these feelings in those who respond deeply to his music. But equally, it comes from my sense that for a composer of his stature, he is subject to a remarkable number of misconceptions, and to an attitude that can at times be downright condescending. I wanted to show Schumann’s music exactly as it is–deeply poetic, fragile, obsessive, evocative, whimsical, internal.” Unlike a traditional artist-in-residency, Schumann: Under the Influence allows Biss to create a sprawling, roving Schumann festival in multiple countries, with various presenter partners, and, perhaps most importantly, with a diversified set of artist co-conspirators.

Biss will be joined in this project by tenor Mark Padmore, soprano Camilla Tilling, violist Kim Kashkashian, clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois, Scott St. John, Carey Bell, and the Elias String Quartet. Says Biss, “It is no accident that most of the music on these four programs is collaborative. Given that this project is to such a large degree about exploration, there is enormous pleasure to be found in opening it up to other viewpoints, to the voices–literal in some cases–of other musicians. And so, while the other performers involved are in many respects very different from one another, they are similar in that they all approach music with an attitude of curiosity.” Over the course of the 2012-13 season, Biss also plays Schumann with orchestras including the Prague Philharmonia, the San Francisco Symphony, the Orchestra National de Belgique, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Biss’s May 2013 recital at Wigmore Hall in London will be recorded for the Wigmore Hall Live label. Launched in 2005, Wigmore Hall Live has released over 40 records to great critical acclaim. This performance includes Schumann’s Phantasiestücke interspersed with selections from Janáček’s Along an Overgrown Path. The evening concludes with Berg’s Piano Sonata and Davidsbündlertänze by Schumann.