FRANZ LISZT: Weihnachtsbaum – Lorenzo Marasso & Yimo Zhang, piano duet

• Lorenzo Marasso, piano
• Yimo Zhang, piano

A suite of 12 pieces composed by Franz Liszt in 1873–76, with revisions in 1881. The suite exists in versions for solo piano and piano four-hands. The version performed here is the piano four-hands version.   

#1 – Psallite; Altes Weihnachtslied (Old Christmas Song; originally a choral work by Michael Praetorius) 

#2 – O heilige Nacht!; Weihnachtslied nach einer alten Weise (O Holy Night!; Christmas Song in Olden Style) 

#3 – In dulci jubilo: Die Hirten an der Krippe (In dulci jubilo: The Shepherds at the Manger)

#4 – Adeste fideles: Gleichsam als Marsch der heiligen drei Könige (Adeste Fideles: March of the Three Holy Kings)

#5 – Scherzoso: Man zündet die Kerzen des Baumes an (Scherzoso: Lighting the Candles on the Tree) 

#6 – Glockenspiel (Carillon)

#7 – Schlummerlied (Slumber Song)

#8 – Altes provenzalisches Weihnachtslied (Old Provençal Christmas Song) 

#9 – Abendglocken (Evening Bells) 

#10 – Ehemals (variously translated as “In Days Gone By”, “Old Times”, “Long Ago”, “Formerly”) 

#11 – Ungarisch (Hungarian) 

#12 – Polnisch (Polish)  

Lorenzo Marasso and Yimo Zhang – piano duet 

About Lorenzo Marasso, piano

Lorenzo Marasso is an impassioned and sympathetic conductor, concert pianist, chamber musician, educator and radio host. Dubbed the "king of repertoire," Lorenzo's creative programming reveals lesser known masterpieces and rarely performed arrangements. Lorenzo's performances have been broadcast in numerous media outlets, including Seattle's 98.1 Classical King FM and NPR. In 2021 Lorenzo founded the Seattle Chamber Orchestra and is serving now as the ensemble's music director. In the same year he also started hosting a weekly radio program called Dress Rehearsal on 107.3FM KBFG Seattle. Equally inspired by contemporary music, Lorenzo has commissioned and performed world premieres of new works by several international composers who have written and dedicated pieces to him. In July 2020 he completed the Invention Project, a commission of new pieces for piano inspired by J.S. Bach's Inventions and Sinfonias. Further commissions included works composed by Michael Finnissy, Edward Cowie and Bernhard Lang.

About Yimo Zhang, piano

Yimo Zhang has been studying piano since an early age. In December 2020, Yimo was granted the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of Washington, where she served as a teaching assistant for multiple terms. As she is establishing herself as a teacher, Yimo is fortunate to have mentors in her life to guide her along. Her students are active participants and have won multiple awards in the Pacific Northwest region.