The Music of Brâncuși: Virtuosic Alexa Stier Plays the Master`s Favorite Scores

Part of RCI New York’s popular Enescu Soirees series, this special recital, The Music of Brâncuși, will feature up-and-coming pianist Alexa Stier in a performance inspired by the sculptor’s artistic universe. The program includes works by composers who were contemporaries or friends of Brâncuși—like George Enescu, Erik Satie, George Gershwin—as well as pieces by composers whose music the artist admired, reflecting the minimalist elegance and spiritual resonance that defined his sculptures. Prepare for an evening where music and sculpture intertwine, capturing the essence of Brâncuși’s work, from the smooth serenity of "Bird in Space"to the grounding power of "The Endless Column". This recital offers a rare chance to experience the soundscapes that inspired one of modern art’s greatest visionaries.

RECITAL PROGRAM

CONSTANTIN SILVESTRI (1913-1969), Baccanale (1933)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791), Sonata in B flat Major (Allegro, Andante amoroso, Rondo - Allegro)

*ERIK SATIE (1866-1925), Gnossienne No. 1
MARCEL MIHALOVICI (1898-1985), Andante semplice from Sonatina op. 11
ERIK SATIE, Gnossienne No. 3
GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937), Prelude no. 1

DIANA ROTARU (b. 1981), Bulzfor solo piano (2024)

GEORGE ENESCU (1881-1955), Piano Suite no.2 in D major "Des cloches sonores" (Toccata, Sarabande, Pavane, Bourrèe)

*This segment is presented without pauses for applause to maintain a seamless flow of the performance.

Hailed for her “colorful, flexible and expressive playing” (Res Musica), Romanian-Hungarian pianist ALEXA STIER appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (UK), the New Britain Symphony Orchestra (USA), the Kelvin Ensemble (UK), and the “Dinu Lipatti” Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania). Alexa has received first prizes in many international competitions, such as the Sheepdrove Piano Competition (UK) and the Virtuoso & Belcanto Concerto Competition (Italy). Most recently, Alexa was selected as one of the top twelve competitors of the George Enescu Competition (Romania), where she also received the Constanţa Erbiceanu Special Prize. Having premiered over twenty new works, Alexa is also a dedicated performer of contemporary music. She was awarded Third prize, Audience Prize, and the Prize for the best interpretation of a commissioned work at the Olivier Messiaen International Piano Competition (France, 2023). Alexa was the recipient of the “Maurice Ohana” Special Prize at the Orléans International Piano Competition dedicated to the music of the twentieth-and twenty-first centuries (France, 2021). Alexa’s most notable appearances include solo recitals and chamber music collaborations at the Time:Spans Festival (NYC), the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago, USA), the Liszt Cultural Institute (NYC), Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (UK), Teatro del Sale (Firenze, Italy), and at the Zaldumbide Rosales Foundation (Quito, Ecuador). Alexa is the founder and artistic director of the ContemporArt non-profit organization and Chamber Music Festival based in her hometown, Satu Mare, Romania. Alexa holds diplomas from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Yale School of Music, where she is currently a doctoral candidate, studying with Boris Berman and Wei-Yi Yang. Alexa is faculty member at the New School for Music Study in Kingston, New Jersey.