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JEFFREY SWANN - Pianist
"Brilliant ... a dashing virtuoso ... spectacular playing"
Biography: JEFFREY SWANN enjoys an international performing career which has
taken him throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. He won first prize in the Dino Ciani Competition sponsored
by La Scala in Milan, a gold medal at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and top honors at the Warsaw Chopin, Van
Cliburn, Vianna da Motta and Montreal Competitions, as well as the Young Concert Artists auditions in New York City. His large
and varied repertoire includes more than 60 concertos as well as solo works ranging from Bach to Boulez.
In addition to presenting lecture/recitals worldwide, Mr. Swann has performed with
the symphonies of Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Indiana, Dallas, Saint Louis, Phoenix, Houston, Lexington, Baltimore and
Minneapolis; and in Europe with the orchestras of Rotterdam, The Hague, Belgian National and Radio, Santa Cecilia, La Scala,
Maggio Fiorentino (Florence), RAI Turin and Rome, Südwest Rundfunk, Bayerischer Rundfunk, the Prague Philharmonic, Radio
France de Montpellier, and the London Philharmonia, among many others. The conductors with whom he has performed include Zdenek
Macal, David Robertson, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Marek Janowski, Kazimirz Kord, Myung-Whun Chung, Roberto Abbado, Riccardo Chailly,
Daniele Gatti and Leonard Slatkin. In addition, he continues to lecture regularly at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany,
and at Wagner Societies in the United States and Italy. Mr. Swann has also served as a judge at many competitions, most recently
at the Utrecht International Liszt Competition.
A native
of Northern Arizona, Jeffrey Swann studied with Alexander Uninsky at Southern Methodist University and with Beveridge Webster
and Adele Marcus at The Juilliard School, where he received his B.M., M.M. and D.M.A. Degrees.
Mr. Swann can be heard on Ars Polona, Deutsche-Gramophon, RCA-Italy, Replica, Fonit-Cetra, Music &
Arts, and Agorá recordings. His CD, “The Virtuoso Liszt” (Music & Arts) won the Liszt Society’s
Grand Prix, and his first volume of the Complete Beethoven Sonatas (Agorá) was chosen one of the Best of the Year by
Fanfare magazine. His most recent release features works for piano and orchestra by Chopin with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano.
Since 2007 Jeffrey Swann has been Artistic Director of the Dino Ciani
Festival & Academy in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Since 2008 he has been the Adel Artist-in-Residence at Northern
Arizona University, and in the Fall of 2010 will join the faculty as Professor of Piano at New York University.
Press Excerpts:
“Grand ... riveting ... spellbinding ... effortless virtuosity ... phenomenal ... magnificent”
Fanfare magazine
“Captivating
... thrilling ... dashing ... vivid communicativeness ... extravagantly brilliant”
American Record Guide
“Astounding ... world-class ... technically brilliant ... exciting
and imaginative”
Clavier
Magazine
“Brilliant
... technically dazzling ... artistic greatness which only few possess”
Vart Land (Norway)
“Totally enraptured his audience ... remarkable technique ...
stylish individualism ... sensitivity and musical inventiveness of the kind rarely encountered anymore”
The Arizona Republic
“A pianist of the very top rank ... stunning ... a major experience which will long be remembered”
Cambridge (England) Evening News
“A virtuoso with a soul” [Rachmaninoff Concerto
No. 3]
The Guardian (London)
“Highly expressive interpretation ... extraordinarily powerful performance”
Corriere della Sera (Milan)
“Strong interpretation ...
sonorous, singing tone ... distinctive eloquence”
San Francisco Chronicle
“Clarion clarity ... masterful
pianist ... jaw-droppingly impressive” [Liszt recital]
The New York Sun
Concerto Repertoire: BACH: Concerto in D minor BARTOK: Concerto Nos. 1, 2, 3 BEETHOVEN: Concerto Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Choral Fantasy; Triple Concerto BERNSTEIN: Age of Anxiety BRAHMS:
Concerto Nos. 1, 2
BUSONI: Indianische Fantasie;
Konzertstuck
CHOPIN: Concerto Nos. 1, 2: "La
Ci Darem" Variations, Andante Spianato & Grand Polonaise
MARCO DI BARI: "Di un Mirabile Gioco Sonoro" for Piano and Soprano
DOHNANYI: Variations on a Nursery Rhyme FRANCK: Symphonic Variations GERSHWIN: Rhapsody
in Blue; Concerto in F; Variations on "I Got Rhythm"
GRIEG: Concerto LISZT: Concerto Nos. 1, 2,
3; De Profundis; Totentanz; Malédiction MESSIAEN:
Oiseaux Exotiques MOZART: Concerto in A Major,
K.414; C Major, K.415; E-flat Major, K.449; B-flat Major, K.450; G Major, K.453; D minor, K.466; C Major, K.467; E-flat Major,
K.482; A Major, K.488; C minor, K.491; D Major, K.537; B-flat Major, K.595; Double Concerto in E-flat
PROKOFIEV: Concerto Nos. 2, 3 RACHMANINOFF: Concerto Nos. 1, 3; Variations on a Theme by Paganini RAVEL: Concerto in G SCHOENBERG:
Concerto SCHUMANN: Concerto SHOSTAKOVICH: Concerto No. 1 TCHAIKOVSKY: Concerto No. 1, 2, 3
Discography: CHOPIN: CONCERTOS No. 1 & 2
(Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano - Christoph Eberle,
conductor)
(Agorá)
BEETHOVEN: SONATAS, Opp. 109, 110, 111, 79
(Agorá)
GERSHWIN:
"RHAPSODY IN BLUE" and CONCERTO IN F
(Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano - Peter Keusching, conductor)
(Agorá)
LISZT: THREE CONCERTOS and TOTENTANZ
(Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano - Karl Martin, conductor)
(Agorá)
"IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE" (Shakespeare Recital Program)
(Agorá)
BEETHOVEN: SONATAS,
Opus 10 No. 1, 2, 3; Opus 14 No. 1, 2
(Agora)
BEETHOVEN: SONATAS, Opus 2 No. 1, 2, 3; Opus 78
(Agorá)
CHOPIN: NOCTURNES and BALLADES (Complete)
(Agorá)
LISZT: TRANSCENDNTAL ETUDES (Complete)
(Agorá)
CHOPIN: WALTZES (Complete)
(Agorá)
BEETHOVEN: PATHÉTIQUE, MOONLIGHT,
TEMPEST and WALDSTEIN SONATAS
(Agorá) BEETHOVEN:
SONATAS, Opus 90, 101, 106 (“Hammerklavier”)
(Agorá)
WUORINEN: SONATA NO. 2 and BOULEZ:
SONATA NO. 3
(Music & Arts)
BUSONI: INDIANISCHE FANTASIE and KONZERTSTUCK
(Orchestre Philharmonique
de Montpellier)
(Arkadia)
THE VIRTUOSO LISZT (***Liszt Society Grand Prix 1988***)
(Music & Arts)
MARTUCCI: CONCERTOS NO. 1 and 2
(Orchestre
Philharmonique de Montpellier)
(Arkadia)
JEFFREY SWANN PLAYS LISZT
(Arkadia)
ROSSINI: POTPOURRI (Arkadia)
ROSSINI: 24 PETITS RIENS
(Arkadia)
LISZT: ANNÉES DE PÈLERINAGE (Complete)
(Arkadia)
MOSZKOWSKI: ETUDES (Complete) and WAGNER:
VENUSBURG MUSIC
(Fonit-Cetra)
DEBUSSY: ETUDES (Complete) and FAURE: PRÉLUDES (Music & Arts)
PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG VIRTUOSO
(Arkadia)
CHOPIN: CONCERTO No. 1 and BARTOK: OUT OF DOORS (Belgian National Orchestra)
(Deutsche-Grammophon)
LISZT-ROSENTHAL
SELECTIONS
(Fonit-Cetra)
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