Keyboard conversations slated

The year 1802 found Ludwig van Beethoven in crisis. The problems he experienced with his hearing were incurable and sure to worsen. However, his disability eventually strengthened his determination and triggered a new creative phase.

In 1874, there appeared the first signs of the syphilis that was to result in Bohemian composer Bedrich Smetana’s deafness. The String Quartet “From my Life” (1876) suggests in its last movement the piercing whistling that haunted his every evening, making work almost impossible. He somehow managed to complete two more operas, a second string quartet and several other works, but by 1883 his mental equilibrium was seriously disturbed. In April 1884, he was taken to the Prague lunatic asylum, where he died the following month.

Hearing problems began to surface for Gabriel Fauré in 1902. After that date, he never heard any performance — except what he could imagine in his head.

The irony is overwhelming and almost unbearably poignant: Some of the world’s greatest composers were deaf. Nevertheless, Beethoven, Smetana and Faure brought forth in silence some of the most beloved music of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel will open his four-part 2004-05 Keyboard Conversations series with an exploration of those three artists on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Siegel has appeared solo and with orchestras around the world. Every year he travels the United States, bringing his Keyboard Conversations to selected cities, including Madison.

Other concerts in Siegel’s series include:

• “The Passion and the Fury of Chopin,” Tuesday, Dec. 14.
• “A Musical Love Triangle: Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms,” Tuesday, Feb. 1.
• “The Magnificent Melodies of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff,” Tuesday, March 15.

This season marks the first partnership of this series between the School of Music and the Wisconsin Union Theater. John Schaffer, School of Music director, says he’s delighted that the New York-based Siegel also will be conducting master classes for UW–Madison students when he’s in town. “We’re excited that the School of Music can help support and benefit from what he does,” Schaffer says.

All performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Concert Hall of Mosse Humanities Building. Tickets are $32 for each concert and $115 for the four-concert series, but free for UW–Madison students. To order tickets, contact the Wisconsin Union Theater Box Office, 262-2201, boxoffice@wut.org.