Oct. 9, 2017
Spanish Harpsichordist to Perform Glorious Goldberg Variations October 17
Hailed as "one of the most versatile Spanish musicians in the classical scene,” Spanish harpsichordist Ignacio Prego will perform Bach’s sublime Goldberg Variations at Central Washington University. The concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. on October 17 in the Music Building Concert Hall. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $7 for students, seniors, and alumni.
We have Count von Keyserling's insomnia to thank for the Goldberg Variations, one of Bach's most inventive bodies of work. The Count liked to listen to music during his sleepless nights, and had his musician, Johann Goldberg, a student of Bach's, play the harpsichord. The Count then commissioned Bach to compose harpsichord music for this purpose. Consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations, the Goldberg Variations is considered to be one of the most virtuosic pieces of its time and one of the most important examples of variation form.
Prego has been described by the newspaper El Mundo as "one of the Spanish musicians with most projection and versatility in the classic music scene." He was the first prize winner at the 2012 Westfield International Harpsichord Competition. He has performed in major cities in the all over the world and he has graced the stages in the National Gallery of Arts in Washington, DC, the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the National Auditorium in Madrid, the Esplanade in Singapore, and the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York.
Prego will perform on a Thomas and Barbara Wolf double-manual harpsichord, an instrument painstakingly handcrafted by a husband-and-wife team in rural Virginia. It can take up to 1,000 hours to build one of their instruments. Some of the world's great musicians and institutions, from the Juilliard School to the Kennedy Center, own Wolf keyboards.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.cwu.edu/tickets, or by calling 509-963-1429. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Wildcat Shop Customer Service at the Student Union and Recreation Building. Advanced purchase is recommended.
Parking in CWU lots is free after 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, except in specially designated spaces and in residence hall lots.
Media Contact: Valerie Chapman-Stockwell, Public Affairs, 509-963-1518, valeriec@cwu.edu