Gwendolyn Mok & friends: program one
Legacy: In the spirit of Beethoven, CD Launch
Gwendolyn Mok, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata in A major Op. 2, No. 2
Carl Czerny First Fantasy on Motives by Beethoven
Franz Liszt An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98
Felix Mendelssohn Variations Serieuses
Ludwig van Beethoven’s profound impact on the musicians who followed him is difficult to exaggerate. He has influenced countless composers and performers —as well as poets, artists, writers, and philosophers—from his own time to the present, in ever expanding circles that spread throughout Europe to eventually encompass the globe. Perhaps none felt Beethoven’s influence more, however, than those musicians who were in the center of those circles, particularly his own students and their musical progeny. This performance by Gwendolyn Mok explores Beethoven’s influence as a pianist and composer for the pianoforte on three later nineteenth-century composer-pianists who were connected to him in varying degrees: Carl Czerny, Franz Liszt and Felix Mendelssohn. Born in New York City, Gwendolyn Mok has appeared in many of the world’s leading concert halls, including the Barbican, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, and the Hong Kong Performing Arts Center. Mok is frequently invited to play and record with major international orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra and Residency Orchestra of The Hague.