MICHAEL HOUSTOUN
Beethoven - The Piano Sonatas
Beethoven 1
Sonata in D Major, Op.10, No.3
1 Presto 2 Largo e mesto 3 Menuetto: Allegro 4 Rondo: Allegro
Sonata in E-flat Major, Quasi una Fantasia, Op.27, No.1
1 Andante - Allegro 2 Allegro molto e vivace 3 Adagio con espressione 4 Allegro vivace
Sonata in E Major, Op.14, No.1
1 Allegro 2 Allegretto 3 Rondo: Allegro comodo
Interval
Sonata in A flat Major, Op. 26
1 Andante con variazioni 2 Scherzo: Allegro molto 3 Marcia funebre sulla morte d’un eroe 4 Allegro
Sonata in C Major, Op.53 (Waldstein)
1 Allegro con brio 2 Introduzione Adagio molto attacca: 3 Rondo. Allegretto moderato
Beethoven 2
Sonata in F Major, Op.10, No.2
1 Allegro 2 Allegretto 3 Finale: Presto
Sonata in B-flat Major, Op.22
1 Allegro con brio 2 Adagio con molto espressione 3 Minuetto 4 Rondo: Allegretto
Interval
Sonata in D Minor, Op.31, No.2 (Tempest)
1 Largo-Allegro 2 Adagio 3 Allegretto
Sonata in A Major, Op.101
1 Allegretto, ma non troppo 2 Vivace, alla marcia 3 Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto 4 Allegro
Beethoven 3
Sonata in C Minor, Op.10, No.1
1 Molto allegro e con brio 2 Molto adagio 3 Finale: Prestissimo
Sonata in G Major, Op.14, No.2
1 Allegro 2 Andante 3 Scherzo: Allegro assai
Interval
Sonata in F Major, Op.54
1 In tempo d’un menuetto 2 Allegretto - Più allegro
Sonata in B flat Major, Op.106 (Hammerklavier)
1 Allegro 2 Scherzo: Assai vivace 3 Adagio sostenuto, appassionato con molto sentimento 4 Introduzione - Largo - Fuga a tre voci
BIO
Michael Houstoun is the most outstanding pianist in New Zealand. He was born in 1952 in Timaru, and began to learn piano at a very early age. In 1973, having won every major competition in the country, he ventured abroad and entered the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition where he was placed third. Other international competition successes came in 1975 (the Leeds Competition) and in 1982 (the Tchaikowsky Competition).
For some years, Michael lived away from New Zealand and during this time he studied in the USA, and performed numerous concerts there, also in the UK, and in Germany and Holland.
However, in 1981 Michael followed his heart back to New Zealand where he has continued to live and concertise ever since, performing also in Australia, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. He plays from a large repertoire which stretches from J.S. Bach to the present day, including 40 concertos and chamber music. A strong advocate of New Zealand music, works from Douglas Lilburn to John Psathas are regularly featured in his programmes.
In this extended appearance to begin the NZ International Piano Festival, Michael will be playing three programmes as part of his 2013 NZ tour of the sonatas of Beethoven. This tour re-creates his hugely successful NZ tour of the 1990s, again with Beethoven’s monumental set of 32 Sonatas.
A total of 13 Sonatas will be played in Auckland during this festival; each programme includes early and late sonatas, and many of the best-known ones appear, such as the Waldstein (Programme 1), the Tempest (Programme 2) and the Hammerklavier (Programme 3).
“Poetry and temperament in perfect balance, inflected, relaxed, yet crisply stylish playing. Houstoun’s . . . mastery of dynamics, so crucial in this concerto, [Beethoven’s Fourth] was breathtaking." (John Button, The Dominion Post)
Michael Houstoun’s BEETHOVEN - THE PIANO SONATAS are presented by Chamber Music New Zealand and form part one of a three-part project featuring all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, Beethoven reCYCLE. Visit chambermusic.co.nz/recycle to find out about the later concerts in the cycle.