Jonathan Biss, piano

BRAHMS: Klavierstücke, Op. 119

KURTÁG: Játékok (selections)

CHOPIN: Nocturnes, Op. 62
Polonaise-fantaisie, Op. 61

BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 (Waldstein)

With an easy confidence and a "bold, strikingly vivid" (Washington Post) approach that belies his sharp interpretive intelligence and deep emotional sensitivity, pianist Jonathan Biss has cultivated a devoted following since his New York Philharmonic debut just over 10 years ago, at the age of 20. Last year, Biss began a nine-year, nine-disc recording cycle of Beethoven's complete sonatas, the first CD of which was widely acclaimed as "brilliant, precisely thought, yet spontaneous-sounding" (The Sunday Times, London). An ambitious programmer, for his Cal Performances recital Biss plays two of the sonatas, including the formidable Waldstein.