Last week’s article about Marna Seltzer, Princeton Concerts’ new concert-manager, depicted her primarily as a caretaker. Her task would be to oversee the unfolding of the already-planned 2010-’11 programs, and to observe in order to organize Princeton’s classical chamber music series in the future. There was no reason to think that she would have much impact on this year’s concerts; that was wrong.
Soon after the U.S. 1 interview Seltzer learned that pianist Ivan Moravec would be unable to keep his October engagement. As it happens, Seltzer discovered a hole in the schedule of pianist Till Fellner. He will replace Moravec in Richardson Auditorium on Thursday, October 14. “We were lucky,” Seltzer says. She does not mention that she made her own luck by knowing where and how to look for a replacement.
Fellner will play the last three of Ludwig von Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas (Opus 109, 110, and 111). He happened to have a free evening between appearances in Boston and New York as he concludes a worldwide tour of the Beethoven cycle, which he began in 2008. Having studied with Beethoven expert Alfred Brendel, Fellner has adopted the seven-concert programming of the series devised by his mentor.
In addition to finding Fellner, Seltzer asserted herself in the spruced-up program booklet given to concertgoers on Thursday, September 23, at the opening of the eight-concert Princeton series. Hints of color on the cover of the booklet invited looking further. Inside, in addition to standard listings and informative program notes, were remarks by Princeton’s Scott Burnham, the inauguration of a regular feature by members of the Princeton music department to be offered at each concert. Another innovation was the catalog of historical events occurring during the year each composition was written.
Concert Classics, Princeton University Concerts, Richardson Auditorium. Thursday, October 14, 8 p.m. Tim Fellner performs Beethoven’s last three piano concertos Opus 109, 110, and 111. $20 to $40. 609-258-9220 or www.princeton.edu/puconcerts.
