# Jonathan Biss at Alfred Hertz Memorial Concert Hall, December 15, 2019

[Cal Performances](https://calperformances.org/performances/2019-20/recital/jonathan-biss-piano-the-complete-piano-sonatas-of-ludwig-van-beethoven.php) presents _The Complete Piano Sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven_, pt 5 of 7, featuring [Jonathan Biss](http://www.jonathanbiss.com/)  
[Alfred Hertz Memorial Concert Hall](http://music.berkeley.edu/about-us/resources-and-facilities/performance-spaces/)  
[U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=U.C.+Berkeley,+Bancroft+Way+at+College+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA+94720+USA&hl=en)  
3:00 PM, Sunday, December 15, 2019

[[:2019:2019-11:2019-11-25|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2019|Up to the 2019 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2019#December_events|Up to the 2019 event list!]] ☸ [[2019-12-20|On to the next event!]]

All works on today's program by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

## Set One

[3:06 PM lights down, no announcements, JB enters without a word]

### Beethoven: Sonata No. 25

Beethoven: Sonata No. 25 in G Major, Op. 79, (1809) _Cuckoo_

01. [3:07 PM] Presto alla tedesca
02. [3:11 PM] Andante
03. [3:14 PM] Vivace  
[work ends 3:15 PM; JB off; back for a small bow; then off for a breather; back onstage at 3:17 PM]

### Beethoven: Sonata No. 11

Beethoven: Sonata No. 11 in B-flat Major, Op. 22, (1800)

01. [3:17 PM] Allegro con brio
02. [3:27 PM] Adagio con molta espressione
03. [3:31 PM] Menuetto
04. [3:34 PM] Rondo: Allegretto  
[work ends 3:40 PM; JB off; back again; then off again, without a word; back onstage at 3:41 PM]

### Beethoven: Sonata No. 14

Beethoven: Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, (1801) _Moonlight_

01. [3:41 PM] Adagio sostenuto
02. [3:46 PM] Allegretto
03. [3:49 PM] Presto agitato  
[set ends 3:55 PM; JB does the back and forth shuffle; break at 3:56 PM]

## Set Two

[4:12 PM lights down, JB out as the straggler's are still filing in]

### Beethoven: Sonata No. 24

Beethoven: Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp Major, Op. 78, (1809) _À Thérèse_

01. [4:14 PM] Adagio cantabile: Allegro ma non troppo
02. [4:21 PM] Allegro vivace  
[work ends 4:23 PM; JB does the back and forth shuffle again; back at 4:24 PM]

### Beethoven: Sonata No. 30

Beethoven: Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109, (1822)

01. [4:25 PM] Vivace ma non troppo: Adagio espressivo
02. [4:28 PM] Prestissimo
03. [4:31 PM] Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung  
[set ends 4:44 PM; JB back for a small bow; no encore; done 4:45 PM]

## Performers

* [Jonathan Biss](http://www.jonathanbiss.com/): piano.

## Notes

Half-way through the month before my first show? Was ist hier los?

The show-drought (nearly three weeks!) was broken with a compelling recital, featuring an astounding performance by Jonathan Biss, reeling off five Beethoven sonatas from memory, yet offering not so much as a peep to the audience. To say that we were stunned is to underestimate the event. At the end of the show, the audience was completely rapt: Biss ended... and sat... and no one did anything but contemplate the silence for a good 30 seconds before Biss raised his hands to indicate "OK I'm done", at which the crowd erupted in applause. Makes me think I should have put more of his recitals on my schedule (I'm only seeing this one, out of seven covering the complete piano sonata cycle), but it's probably too late to do much to change things now.

[Program Notes](https://calperformances.org/learn/program_notes/2019-20/pn_jonathan-biss-full-beethoven-cycle.pdf) or {{:2019:2019-12:20191215pn.pdf|program notes}}

Lily O'Brien posted an interesting [interview](https://www.sfcv.org/events-calendar/artist-spotlight/jonathan-biss-finds-bliss-with-beethoven) with Biss before the start of this year's performance cycle.

{{tag>music Jonathan_Biss Hertz_Hall }}

[[:2019:2019-11:2019-11-25|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2019|Up to the 2019 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2019#December_events|Up to the 2019 event list!]] ☸ [[2019-12-20|On to the next event!]]