Friday, May
14, 2021, 8 pm at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Presenting
Xiaopei Xu
徐小培, pianist
~ Program
~
J.S.Bach/Franz Liszt:
Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542
Schubert/Franz Liszt:
Three Lieder Transcriptions
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Der Müller und der Bach
Erlkönig
Florence Price/Chi Wei Lo:
Paraphrase on “Resignation”
George Gershwin/Earl Wild:
Two Virtuoso Etudes on Gershwin Songs
“Embraceable You”
“Fascinating Rhythm” ~ intermission
~
F. Schubert:
Piano Sonata No.20 In A Major, D. 959 I.
Allegro
II. Andantino
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace - Trio: Un poco più lento
IV. Rondo: Allegretto
"Brilliant Clarity from Xiaopei Xu":
"Xiaopei Xu is one strong pianist. Friday night at
the Gardner Museum she took a chisel to a range of
pieces and delivered incised, everywhere lapidary
performances of Bach-Liszt, Schubert-Liszt,
Price-Lo, Gershwin-Wild, Schubert, and Waller. "
"The BU DMA student, commenced with an exemplary, as
in could-hardly-be-improved rendition of Liszt’s
transcription of Bach’s S.542 Fantasy and Fugue. I
swear: in all of my hours spent at Bach organ
recitals I have not heard better rhythmic strength,
voice clarity, and drive than this. … with Bach
playing like this, she placed a prominent marker."
"Florence Price’s powerful song "Resignation"("My
life is a pathway of sorrow …") received its own
highly imaginative embellishments, indeed a
paraphrase, by Xu’s colleague, the pianist and
improviser Chi Wei Lo. The beautiful result even
featured effective soft vocalizing by the pianist."
- David Moran of The Boston Musical Intelligencer
It felt very special
playing a live concert at the beautiful Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum’s Calderwood Hall last night. Even though
the capacity was still limited to 64, I truly enjoyed
the intimate chemistry and the warmth from everyone in
the space. Thank you so much, Dr. Cathy Chan, for having
me! -Xiaopei@FB
Xiaopei Xu
徐小培, pianist "A sensitive pianist and talented artist." — Martha Argerich
Hailed by the Boston Music Intelligencer as “a spellbinding and
expressive pianist”, Xiaopei Xu has been featured as a soloist
on three continents, striving for creativity in her artistic
expression. She made her Boston Symphony Hall debut in 2018,
performing Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 in E Minor with Maestro
Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops.
Xu has received international acclaim with top prizes at the New
York International Piano Competition, Oberlin International
Piano Competition, Tureck International Bach Competition, and
the Washington D.C. International Young Artist Competition. She
has also performed at festivals including Pianofest in the
Hamptons, PianoTexas, Banff Music Centre, Sarasota Music
Festival, Russia Young Artist Festival, and the Walnut Hill
Music Festival in Boston.
In addition to her musical endeavors, Xu integrates her love for
visual arts with music, creating multidisciplinary
collaborations as a way to enhance the artistic experience. A
painter herself, she has been commissioned for several
installations and collaborative projects. Xu created a combined
art and concert experience at the Germany Society of
Pennsylvania, as well as an exhibition of her artwork in “The
Seven Deadly Sins,” a themed concert at the New England
Conservatory. Collections of her drawings have been published by
the Clara Haskil Competition’s Jeune Critique.
Xu currently resides in Boston and is pursuing a Doctor of
Musical Arts degree at Boston University. She holds a Master’s
degree from Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree from the New
England Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers include
Boaz Sharon, Hung-Kuan Chen, Meng-Chieh Liu, and Xun Pan. She
has also worked with influential musicians such as Claude Frank,
Richard Goode, Andrea Bonatta, Russell Sherman, and Paul
Badura-Skoda.