Alexander Korsantia

Great artists give free concerts at New England Conservatory—simply because they teach here.

Pianist Alexander Korsantia has performed as soloist with orchestras in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In his native Georgia, Korsantia often appears on television and radio, including a 2003 full-length documentary released by Georgian National TV about his life. Additional honors bestowed upon Korsantia in his native country include The Medal of Honor for his contributions to the arts, and an invitation to perform at the inauguration of President Mikheil Saakashvili. Elsewhere in the world, Korsantia has won the gold medal of the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition and first prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition.

During his recital, concert goers will enjoy Korsantia playing an impressive array of pieces by Beethoven. First will be Sonata in A Flat Major, Op. 26. Beethoven completed this piece in 1801, around the same time as his first symphony, and the third movement contains a funeral march that was played at Beethoven’s own funeral.

Next on the program is a piece Beethoven composed just a year later, Fifteen Variations with the Fugue in E Flat Major, Op. 35, also known as the Eroica Variations. Employing a theme featured in the music he composed a year earlier for the ballet The Creatures of the Prometheus, Beethoven departs from the typical theme-and-variations form in this emotional piece.

Korsantia will also go farther back in time through Beethoven’s catalog to perform Sonata in E Flat Major, Op. 7, composed in 1797. Following a performance in Calgary, The Calgary Herald proclaimed, “Korsantia held the audience in the palm of his hand, his performance the last word in polish, bravura technique and musical concentration.” He will surely captivate the Jordan Hall audience to the same degree.