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He was here in Madison WI a couple of years back. He is very polished technically, but more importantly he is a "thinking man's" pianist, much like Jeremy Denk. You'll get well-considered presentations on the repertoire he's chosen to play. Very much recommended!
He came to Seattle. I enjoyed his playing for the most part. He did Beethoven Op 111 2nd movement a little fast for my taste.
I got invited to a master class put on by University of Washington! That was really interesting. He critiqued several piano students at the university.
Been enjoying his new videos on Coursera on several more Beethoven sonatas.
He was here in Madison WI a couple of years back. He is very polished technically, but more importantly he is a "thinking man's" pianist, much like Jeremy Denk. You'll get well-considered presentations on the repertoire he's chosen to play. Very much recommended!
I've heard him a couple times in Philadelphia and, for the most part, agree with this assessment. His Chopin was not my cup of tea, but he's certainly worth hearing.
I note that he's only playing one movement of the Brahms sonata. Very unusual in a professional recital.
By the way, I'm going to Jeremy Denk's recital tonight!
I think Biss is quite unusual for one so young. Almost all young piano superstars seem to play and prefer the virtuoso Romantic literature, but Biss plays mostly Beethoven, Schumann, and other German composers.
I'm not sure what to make of the opening paragraphs of his quirky website bio which read like a program bio of a very first time Broadway performer:
Jonathan Biss was born in 1980; his professional debut preceded this event by several months, when he performed, prenatally, the Mozart A Major Violin Concerto at Carnegie Hall, with the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Lorin Maazel1. Subsequent violin performances have shown greater independence, though they have also been more likely to send listeners running in the opposite direction, wildly searching for Ear, Nose and Throat specialists, and handguns.
Although the highlight of his career as a violinist took place when he was a fetus, Mr. Biss’ childhood was nonetheless saturated with music. With both of his parents playing the violin, and his older brother Daniel taking up the piano, he remembers music emanating from nearly every room in the house, including bathrooms, which, while modest in their decor, were valued for their acoustical properties.
I think Biss is quite unusual for one so young. Almost all young piano superstars seem to play and prefer the virtuoso Romantic literature, but Biss plays mostly Beethoven, Schumann, and other German composers.
I'm not sure what to make of the opening paragraphs of his quirky website bio which read like a program bio of a very first time Broadway performer:
Jonathan Biss was born in 1980; his professional debut preceded this event by several months, when he performed, prenatally, the Mozart A Major Violin Concerto at Carnegie Hall, with the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Lorin Maazel1. Subsequent violin performances have shown greater independence, though they have also been more likely to send listeners running in the opposite direction, wildly searching for Ear, Nose and Throat specialists, and handguns.
Although the highlight of his career as a violinist took place when he was a fetus, Mr. Biss’ childhood was nonetheless saturated with music. With both of his parents playing the violin, and his older brother Daniel taking up the piano, he remembers music emanating from nearly every room in the house, including bathrooms, which, while modest in their decor, were valued for their acoustical properties.
He does come from a musical family. At Summerkeys I usually study with his uncle, Gregory Biss - a wonderful teacher with lots of experience with adults.
