Circa 1829

Program

Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) — Il Genio

Franz Schubert (1797–1828) — Schwanengesang, D. 957: No. 7 “Abschied” and No. 3 “Frühlingssehnsucht”

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) — Violin Sonata in F minor, Movements I & III

Franz Schubert  — Schwanengesang, D. 957: No. 4 “Ständchen” and No. 1 “Liebesbotschaft”

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) — Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837) — Potpourri for Guitar and Fortepiano, Op. 53

Circa 1829 invites audiences into the refined intimacy of the nineteenth-century salon, where music was as much about conversation as performance. Centered around an extraordinary 1829 Bernard Klée square piano—an instrument built in Paris’s Marais district and perfectly suited to domestic music-making—this recital features Jan McDaniel, Music Director of Painted Sky Opera, at the keyboard, bringing to life the elegance, wit, and warmth of the era. Works by Donizetti, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, and Hummel unfold as they might have in a candlelit drawing room, their lyricism and charm amplified by the piano’s delicate timbres and light touch. From Schubert’s heartfelt songs and Chopin’s luminous Nocturne to Hummel’s sparkling Potpourri for guitar and fortepiano, Circa 1829 offers a rare opportunity to experience familiar music in its original voice—graceful, intimate, and vividly alive.