Lise de la Salle, Piano

French pianist Lise de la Salle "has wowed the world with her prodigious gifts, superlative technique, and a passionate, mature musicianship found in only the rarest of prodigies" (LA Weekly). Five years after this extraordinary performer amazed audiences as the inaugural artist in Duke Performances' Piano Recital Series, she returns an even more accomplished and acclaimed musician.De la Salle's program centers on two towering French masterpieces: Debussy's Preludes, painterly miniatures that bridge romantic and modern styles, and Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, a set of fantastical vignettes so technically dazzling that only a few pianists in the world can play it. She also plays two starker but no less monumental works: Bach's Chaconne, which Brahms described as "a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings," and Brahms' Theme and Variations, his tribute to Bach's Chaconne.Program:Bach: Chaconne from the Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 (transcribed by Busoni); Brahms: Theme and Variations in D Minor, Op. 18b; Debussy: Preludes (Book 1);Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit;