DAILY CAMERA: Pianist Richard Goode performs at CU’s Macky Auditorium
Lauded artist feels ever closer to beloved Beethoven
Pianist Richard Goode is undoubtedly a towering figure in American classical music. The 1980 Avery Fisher Prize winner is recognized for his excellence in collaborative performances, especially chamber music. His complete recording of the Beethoven piano sonatas, made in the early 1990s, was the first such cycle by an American pianist, and is often cited by critics as the top choice.
But at 73, Goode is not overly concerned with his status. In fact, he insists that his activities and interests are the same as they always were — except, perhaps, for an increased focus on the role of teaching.
“I listen for the same thing in my own practice that I do from my students,” Goode said during a recent interview. “Teaching has become more interesting and central to my involvement in music.”
He is on the faculty of the Mannes School of Music at New York’s New School.
After making a deep impression in his 2013 appearance at Macky Auditorium as soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Goode returns to the CU Presents Artist Series for a solo recital on Friday, Oct. 28.
The program appears to have a solid structure — piano sonatas by Mozart and Beethoven frame small sets of shorter pieces by Leoš Janácek, Brahms, and Claude Debussy — but Goode insists any thematic connections were made unconsciously.
“I usually just assemble pieces I want to play,” he explained, “and in this case there is logic to the construction of the program that just fell into place.”