Cape Ann residents will have the opportunity to hear one of the great American pianists right here in Gloucester at a concert Sunday at Fuller School auditorium.
Peter Serkin will perform a program that he plans to play next month in New York City, and the visit will be Serkin's only solo recital in the Boston area.
"He very generously offered to play it here as a benefit concert for Rockport Chamber Music Festival and our campaign to build the Shalin Liu Performance Center," said David Deveau, the festival's artistic director. "The festival is deeply grateful for this gift of music, given by one of the world's leading musicians."
The program will feature a range of music spanning centuries, from the 15th century to the 20th century. It will include works of Josquin Desprez, Olivier Messiaen, Johannes Brahms and J.S. Bach. The performance will conclude with the Johannes Brahms Variations and Fugue in B-flat on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24.
The piece by Desprez to be played was arranged for piano by Charles Wuorinen, whose new piano quintet will have its world premiere at Rockport Chamber Music Festival in June, and will be joined by Serkin and Brentano String Quartet.
The Bach suite Serkin will play is titled "Capriccio on the Departure of the Beloved Brother."
Deveau, a pianist and member of the music faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, said Serkin has been appearing in concert with the world's greatest orchestras and conductors since the age of 12 when he was a soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell, and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.
Serkin, now 60, is the son of the noted German-Czech pianist Rudolf Serkin, born in Bohemia. Deveau said the elder Serkin was known as one of the towering figures of classical music throughout the 20th century.
"Peter has inherited his father's seriousness as an artist. However, Peter has followed a somewhat different path in that he has been a zealous champion of new music by living composers, and has premiered many compositions by Takemitsu, Wuorinen, Peter Lieberson, Ned Rorem and others," Deveau said. "At the same time, Peter is known for his superb playing of the old masters, particularly Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Schubert. His playing is not at all showy, but his command of the piano is total."
Musical talent runs through Serkin's blood from both sides of his family. His maternal grandfather was Adolph Busch, a composer and violinist.
"We are really honored and excited about this performance," said Karen Harrison, on staff at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival. "Someone of that caliber coming to Gloucester is a big deal."
The auditorium seats 686; 400 tickets have already been sold.
Gail McCarthy can be reached at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com
If you go
What: Rockport Chamber Music Festival presents renowned pianist Peter Serkin.
Where: Gloucester's Fuller School auditorium, off Blackburn Circle.
When: Sunday at 3 p.m.
Why: This is a benefit for the music festival's future Shalin Liu Performance Center.
How much: Tickets are still available in the $30 price slot. Student tickets are $20, and those 18 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.rcmf.org. For more information, call 978-546-7391.
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