If you go
Violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Jeremy Denk
Where: Music Center at Strathmore
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Info: $55 to $115; 202-785-9727; wpas.org
When Jeremy Denk won both the coveted Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1998, he was off and running as one of those rare pianists who are equally at home as a solo artist and accompanist. Two weeks ago, he wowed a Kennedy Center audience with a solo recital that paired the ingenuity of a young Mozart and the innovative dissonances of insurance executive Charles Ives. He next joins violinist Joshua Bell at Strathmore for a program of sonatas.
The two first met and performed together at the 2004 Spoleto Festival. Their styles and personalities clicked so well that their musical partnership was cemented. Today they tour extensively throughout this country and Europe.
“We both have a basic interest in storytelling and are impetuous, edge-of-the-seat musicians,” Denk said. “Neither of us are wallflowers and we tend to get involved in everything we play. Whether I’m giving a solo recital or accompanying another instrumentalist or chamber group, I don’t see the difference. It’s all music making and I enjoy learning from performing with different musicians. I digest what’s great about their playing, take it in my pipe, smoke it and make it my own.”
Denk is also a favorite accompanist of violinist Soovin Kim whom he met at Marlboro Center for advanced musical studies in Vermont. The center, foremost in developing and nurturing chamber music, is known for its famous Musicians from Marlboro who tour frequently.
Denk graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory with a double major in music and chemistry, keeping the door open in case music did not work out. The day after graduating, he sold all his lab materials and proceeded to obtain both a master’s degree in music from Indiana University and a doctorate in piano performance from the Juilliard School. Subsequent awards boosted his solo career with symphony orchestras.
Denk’s repertoire includes standard works of three centuries and numerous world premieres. When he is not performing and recording, he is on the faculty of Bard College Conservatory of Music.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Bach who has become my personal friend,” he said. “I also feel close to Schubert, Schumann and Ives, who was a special ugly duckling. Like Beethoven, his music is both profane and profound. It’s basically beautiful, moving and heartfelt, but he shifts back and forth between beauty and the ridiculous and gives musical signals when something silly will happen.”
In addition to his virtuosity on the piano, Denk is the author of a witty blog that was suggested by the “NPR: Performance Today” producer during a conversation about his weird experiences on the road. His accounts evoke knowing grins and chortles from musicians and laymen alike. Recent entries include “Journey of a Thousand Pop Tarts,” “Schubert’s Killer Abs,” “Hot Seattle, Flirty Brahms,” and a faux interview with Sarah Palin in which he points out, “Well ya know, Beethoven was the dude who said thanks but no thanks to Napoleon.”
