Join pianist Dr. Albert Zak for a fantastic program of works by Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Debussy.
Chopin
Polonaise in F# minor, Op. 44
Nocturne in G major, Op. 37, no. 2
Fantasy-Impromptu in C# minor, Op. 66
Tarantella in A flat major, Op. 43
Ballade in F minor, Op. 52
Rachmaninoff
Prelude, Op. 32, no. 10 in B minor
Prelude, Op. 23, no. 6 in E flat major
Prelude, Op. 23, no. 5 in G minor
Etude-Tableau, Op. 33, no. 2 in C major
Etude-Tableau, Op. 39, no. 1 in C minor
Debussy
Isle Joyeuse
Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, the son of Polish immigrant parents, Albert
Zak began to play the piano at age four and was, at the time, the youngest person
enrolled in the Royal Conservatory of music in Toronto. He attended public school
in Toronto and continued his education at the University of Toronto, where he
majored in French and Russian language and literature. However, his love for
music led him to concentrate on a career as a musician, and in 1972, upon
graduation from the University of Toronto, he entered the State College of Music
(now the Chopin Academy of Music) in Warsaw, Poland, where he studied with
Jan Ekier and Danuta Dworakowska. He graduated with first class honors in
1977,performing the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto with the Lubin
Philharmonic under the direction of Witold Krzemienski. Subsequently, he has
studied in Paris; Bydgoszcz, Poland; and New York. Other important teachers
have included Jerzy Godziszewski and Jerome Lowenthal.
Dr. Zak is a maverick who has followed his own unique path to finding
expression and meaning in life and art. As a native born citizen of Canada, Dr.
Zak never received assistance from the government of Canada for the pursuit of
his artistic vocation. Settling down in the USA assured survivability, but the slog
to artistic fruition was long and arduous. Today, as a proud and naturalized
American citizen, Dr. Zak is deeply grateful to have been afforded the opportunity
to realize his (once denied) artistic potential. His performance style has been
characterized as “truly artistic” by some of the world’s finest musicians.
Alicia de Larrocha called his 2001 debut recital at Alice Tully Hall “very
interesting and . . . espectacular!” Presently, Dr. Zak holds a doctor of musical
arts degree from New York University.