By Daniel Hathaway | Cleveland Classical
This article was originally published on Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — When the Italian harpsichord maker Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano in 1720, did he have any idea what his innovation might lead to 300 years later?
Did he imagine a future full of Mozart concertos, Schubert Lieder, Beethoven sonatas, or Liszt tone poems? Could he have believed that in 2024, a large audience would turn out in Reinberger recital hall at Severance Music Center to hear a concert of piano works by a famous Russian emigré interleaved with popular songs inspired by his tunes?
All of that has come to pass — and more. The Friday performance on May 17 featured the extraordinary Conrad Tao, who expertly curated and stunningly played a program of solo piano music by Sergei Rachmaninoff and composers who Tao said were influenced by his music.