RECITALS
Steinway artist Robert Wyatt delights audiences with a rare blend of pianistic savvy and engaging storytelling that makes each performance a creative event. His recitals have garnered sterling reviews nationwide.
Whether you like classical or jazz, Broadway melodies or ragtime, Robert Wyatt’s recitals are sure to please your audience. View the descriptions of some of the programs below.
- All of Robert Wyatt’s recitals are presented in a narrative performance format.
- Programs take approximately 90 minutes with intermission.
- A tuned grand piano is required.
RIALTO RIPPLES
Gershwin’s first published piano piece was co-written by Will Donaldson, a fellow Tin Pan Alley “song-plugger.”
2 UNPUBLISHED PIANO PIECES
Inspired by the premiere of the Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin penned a series of pieces which might have been sketches for a cycle of preludes.
THREE-QUARTER BLUES
Also known as the Irish Waltz, this might have been the piece that Gershwin “pulled out of his pocket” to entice interesting female acquaintances.
GEORGE GERSHWIN’S SONGBOOK
Published by Simon and Schuster in 1932, the eighteen improvisations are masterworks of improvisational genius.
6 PIANO PRELUDES
Although Gershwin published three piano preludes in 1927, he wrote at least seven. Robert Wyatt discovered two “Novelettes” in 1987, combining them with a third unpublished piece, “Sleepless Night,” and the well-known published works.
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
The solo version of the composition that made George Gershwin an American icon on February 12, 1924.
MAPLE LEAF RAG
Although Scott Joplin sold a few ragtime pieces prior to 1899, it was the Maple Leaf Rag which brought him instant fame and fortune.
BETHENA—A CONCERT WALTZ
Joplin’s finest waltz, Bethena is a fully syncopated ragtime waltz with five different themes, each with a separate tonality.
THE ENTERTAINER
Immortalized in the classic film, The Sting, this ragtime march was Joplin’s most successful product from the banner year 1902.
SOLACE
Joplin’s move to New York City in 1907 heralded new compositional styles, readily evidenced in the seductive tango-serenade Solace, his only venture into that dance form.
SUNFLOWER SLOW DRAG
A teacher as well as a composer/player, Joplin sometimes partnered with his most successful students, as in this rag with Scott Hayden.
RIALTO RIPPLES
Gershwin’s first published piano piece was co-written by Will Donaldson, a fellow Tin Pan Alley “song-plugger.”
3 PRELUDES FOR PIANO
The three piano preludes, Gershwin’s only published concert pieces for solo piano, are brilliant examples of the jazz idiom applied to classical form.
“SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME”
A zesty piano transcription of Gershwin’s piano roll recording of a tune eventually scored as a ballad for Gertrude Lawrence in the show Oh, Kay!
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
The solo version of the composition that made George Gershwin an American icon on February 12, 1924.
TRADITIONAL REPERTOIRE
Piano pieces are performed from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th Century periods. Sample programs are furnished upon request.