Event Detail

Pianist Catherine Kautsky performs Bach's French Suite No. 2 in C Minor, Beethoven's Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101, and Rzewski's De Profundis. The latter is a dramatic setting of Oscar Wilde’s letter De Profundis, written in 1895 to his lover Lord Alfred Douglas when Wilde was in prison for "gross indecency".  In the letter, Wilde describes how he is spiritually transformed by his prison experience. Ms. Kautsky's performance will include excerpts from Wilde's letter. Kautsky has appeared at Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall, among other prestigious venues, and as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony, Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. She recently recorded a CD of Debussy's Preludes to accompany an eventual book on the genesis of that music and Debussy's role in early 20th century Paris. Kautsky is on the faculty at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Reviewing her New York debut, the New York Times said that she is "a pianist who can play Mozart and Schubert as though their sentiments and habits of speech coincided exactly with hers... She gave these pieces nuances that made them meaningful on a human everyday level. The music spoke directly to the listener."