Pianist David Kaplan will present a solo recital entitled, “Quasi una fantasia” at St. Matthew’s Music Guild at 8 p.m. on Friday, February 10.
“Quasi una fantasia” takes its name from the original title given to two sonatas by Beethoven: the famous “Moonlight” (Op. 21, No. 2) and its companion, the Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 21,No 1).
The two Beethoven sonatas will frame music by Couperin, Brahms and Schumann as well as more recent works by Ligeti, Anthony Cheung, Kaija Saariaho and Andrea Casarrubios.
Kaplan has been called “excellent and adventurous” by the New York Times and was praised by the Boston Globe for “grace and fire” at the keyboard. He has performed with orchestras throughout the world, including the Britten Sinfonia and Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and has performed recitals at the Ravinia Festival, Sarasota Opera House, and National Gallery.
He has participated in chamber music festivals such as the Seattle Chamber Music, Bard, Mostly Mozart, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, and Barge Music. He has recorded for Naxos, Nonesuch, and Marquis Records.
As an core member of Decoda, the Affiliate Ensemble of Carnegie Hall, he performs frequently in New York’s most exciting venues, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art to National Sawdust.
He has recorded for Naxos and Marquis Records, as well as with Timo Andres in the acclaimed disc, Shy and Mighty (2010), for Nonesuch. Kaplan was a student of the late Claude Frank, and previously studied with Walter Ponce and Miyoko Lotto.
His mentors over the years have included Anton Kuerti, Richard Goode, and Emanuel Ax. He studied conducting at the Universität der Künste Berlin with Lutz Köhler, under the auspices of a Fulbright Fellowship from 2008-2010.
Kaplan earned his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 2005 and received his Doctor of Musical Arts from Yale University in 2014.
He has been a member of the UCLA Herb Albert School of Music faculty since 2016 and was appointed assistant professor of piano in 2020.
Away from the keyboard, Kaplan loves cartooning and cooking, and said he is mildly obsessed with classic cars.
A pre-concert lecture, “Liner Notes with Tom Neenan,” begins at 7:10 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
All concerts are held at St. Matthew’s Church, 1031 Bienveneda Ave. Tickets are $35 or Music Guild Season pass. Season passes for remaining 2022 – 2023 concerts are available for as little as $75. For complete information, tickets and season passes visit: MusicGuildOnline.org or call (310) 573-7422.
Contact: Tom Neenan, tneenan@MusicGuildOnline.org.