Pro Musica: Jan Lisiecki Traverses a World (of) Dance

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Français (French)

For its 77th season, Pro Musica presents Les Grands Romantiques, a tribute to romantic masterpieces and the modern-day artists who bring them to life. Its three series—Cartes blanches, Mélodînes, and Sur la route—welcome seasoned and young performers, with concerts in Montreal and Bromont.

The Cartes blanches series begins with Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki’s World (of) Dance (Feb. 22). This new program is inspired by dances from across Europe and Latin America. Lisiecki recently premiered the program in Steinfurt, Germany, in January.

“The first time is always the one that gives you the most trepidation,” says the pianist. “It was a success in this case, and I feel confident that it’s a really cool program.”

Photo: Christoph Köstlin

Part I: Discovery

Lisiecki has increasingly found himself drawn to creating programs with a unifying theme. A recent project explored preludes written over the course of 250 years. This concentrated focus has led to new discoveries. “I’m looking amongst these pieces, not only for those that I want to play [or]the sort of the obvious ones that you have to play,” he says.

World (of) Dance will feature works by big-name composers like Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, and Bartók in a program that bridges Romanticism through early Modernism. However, Lisiecki has sought out some of their lesser-played works, having only performed two of the pieces before.

Part II: Connection

As is inevitable when putting together a recital of music that is almost entirely new, Lisiecki discovered pieces that surprised and challenged him. He says Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango was the most technically difficult. “I’m not a dancer by nature,” he says, “so it didn’t feel as natural to me to figure that out.” Alberto Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas were both unexpected and demanding. “That is just some epic music,” he says, “and the three [movements]can’t be more different from each other.”

Throughout the process, Lisiecki has found ways to make the compositions his own. “I’m not trying to make it as accurate as possible ethnographically. I’m giving an interpretation of it.”

Photo: Christoph Köstlin

Part III: Delivery

Lisiecki’s international career has taken him across the world. But his Canadian concerts always offer a strong sense of homecoming. It was in Montreal that the pianist made a name for himself as the youngest-ever winner of the OSM Standard Life Competition. “It brings back so many memories for me,” he says. “It is special.”

For this return to the city, Lisiecki brings music he hopes will find a new, appreciative audience. “I’d like them to be entertained in the evening,” says the pianist, “but also to simply have that moment of reprieve—a moment of escape from their world—and a little bit of heightened inspiration as well.”