Among the most esteemed and sought-after keyboard artists on today’s concert stages, Kristian Bezuidenhout is known for making centuries-old music sparkle and dance as if freshly conceived. The South African-born, London-based artist takes Cal Performances audiences on a special journey through his instrument’s evolution. Moving from the harpsichord to the fortepiano—the gloriously idiosyncratic ancestor of the modern piano—Bezuidenhout performs a sequence of carefully chosen works by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Clara Schumann, and Mendelssohn. “The listener is drawn in by the myriad subtleties of Bezuidenhout’s playing and by the glorious sounds he draws from his instrument” (Gramophone).

Kristian Bezuidenhout will engage in a post-concert Q&A with Cal Performances executive and artistic director Jeremy Geffen. Free to all ticket holders. 

This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Human and Machine” programming for the 2022–23 season.

This performance is made possible, in part, by Charles and Helene Linker.

Run time for this concert is approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes without intermission, but not including any possible encores.