On the surface, tonight’s program spans wildly different worlds: American jazz, Soviet modernism, and transcriptions that move freely between genres. But what ties it all together is a sense of transformation: of identity, of style, and of voice.

Franz Noack’s Transcriptions Américaines take the sounds of early 20th-century America (ragtime, blues, popular song) and reimagine them through a European prism. They’re playful, reflective, and slightly nostalgic, a continental goodbye to something newly discovered.

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue stands at the crossroads of classical form and jazz improvisation. It’s the sound of a young, restless America finding its voice.

After the pause, Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet brings us to a darker, more introspective place. Written in wartime Soviet Russia, it too speaks the language of transformation, balancing public restraint with private emotion. Here, the farewell is more ambiguous, more layered: an artist navigating survival through music.