The Leo Baeck Institute New York and Elysium – between two continents are excited to welcome the established Austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch for an enchanting evening dedicated to the rich musical heritage of early 20th-century Vienna.

This recital features a remarkable selection of works by three distinguished composers: Arnold Schönberg, the groundbreaking innovator of modern music; Egon Wellesz, one of Schoenberg’s earliest and most passionate scholars; and Wilhelm Grosz, one of the most versatile talents known for blending classical and jazz influences.

Join us for a captivating program that includes Wellesz’s evocative Der Abend, Schoenberg’s iconic Klavierstück, op. 11/2 (arranged by Ferruccio Busoni) and Grosz’s impressive Symphonic Variations.

Program:

Egon Wellesz (1885-1974): Der Abend, op.4

1. Pastorale
2. Angelus
3. Dämmerstunde
4. Wind auf der Heide

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): Klavierstück, op.11/2 (arr. Ferruccio Busoni)

Wilhelm Grosz (1894-1939): Symphonische Variationen über ein eigenes Thema, op. 9

In the season 2024-25, we are commemorating anniversaries of two Viennese champions of 20th century music: Arnold Schoenberg, the "Godfather" of Modern Music, who would have turned 150, and Egon Wellesz, one of his earliest and most affectionate scholars, who died in Oxford in 1974. Wellesz's first cycle for piano solo, "Der Abend" (1909/10), shows various stylistic influences, with scents of fin de siècle and impressionism. Schoenberg’s Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11, have reached an almost iconic status in the piano literature, being an outstandingly expressive and cogent example of the master’s atonal phase. Here, the rarely heard "concert version" by Ferruccio Busoni of the second piece is played, over which a lively debate developed between the two eminent composers in 1910.

Wilhelm Grosz was born in Vienna, also studied composition with Franz Schreker. He later settled for four years in London in 1934 and arrived in the United States in 1938. His musical path has taken quite different directions than the two others’, and his enormous talent is reflected in his activities as a composer, pianist, arranger, conductor, and music producer. In the early 1920s, he was among the first Austrian composers to incorporate jazz idioms into his works. The Symphonic Variations, Op. 9 from 1920, are a monumental piece that combines a post-Mahlerian musical language with highly imaginative pianism.

Gottlieb Wallisch is currently recording Grosz's Complete Piano Musicfor Grand Piano Records, with the first CD released in November 2024 to great critical acclaim.