Playing the unplayable.
Hailed as ‘a pianist of great passion and power’ Cassomenos takes audiences on a journey through the intricacies of his astonishing talent.
Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata is considered one of the greatest piano sonatas of all time. Completed in 1818, the work was originally regarded as unplayable, and has retained its status as one of the most demanding solo works in the classical repertoire. It was championed by the great composer-pianist Franz Liszt, who gave the first documented public performance of the work in 1836.
Liszt also championed Beethoven’s Symphonies, creating epically virtuosic solo piano transcriptions of all nine of them. The iconic fifth symphony was one of the first he transcribed, published in 1837, and was likely performed in concert by Liszt in the 1840s on his European tours, alongside the Hammerklavier.
This performance forms part of a curated collection by Tim Walker CBE AM, Former Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
“Cassomenos is one of those now rare artists whose composure does not display the need for attention. Hardly has any pianist of our time played so calmly, soberly, absorbedly, and as unpretentiously as does Cassomenos.”
Repertoire
BEETHOVEN Piano Sonata No 29 in B-flat, Op 106, ‘Hammerklavier’
~ Interval ~
LISZT/BEETHOVEN Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 – S.464/5
Artist
Stefan Cassomenos: Composer, Pianist
Tickets
Meet the Artist
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Stefan Cassomenos
Internationally praised for his clarity, depth of expression, virtuosity and versatility, Melbourne-born Stefan Cassomenos is regarded as one of Australia’s leading concert pianists. His concerto repertoire now exceeds forty works, and has led to performances with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Opera Australia Orchestra, and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist at Tonhalle Zurich, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Beethoven Festival Bonn, Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, and at concert halls across Germany, Netherlands, England, Italy, Malta, Greece, Slovenia, Poland, Estonia, Russia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.
In 2013, Cassomenos was a grand finalist and recipient of both the Second Grand Prize and the Chamber Music Prize at the International Telekom Beethoven Piano Competition Bonn. He studied on full scholarship at Melbourne University and the Australian National Academy of Music, mentored by Stephen McIntyre, Margarita Krupina, Ian Munro, and Michael Kieran Harvey.
Cassomenos is a founding member of acclaimed ensemble PLEXUS, which since launching in 2014 has commissioned and premiered over 110 new works.
Cassomenos began composing at an early age, giving the premiere of his own Piano Concerto No 1 with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra at age 16. He has composed for Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Victorian Opera, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir, and for the Festival Neue Musik Rockenhausen.
Cassomenos is currently co-Artistic Director, together with violinist Monica Curro, of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival.
Cassomenos is generously supported by Kawai Australia.
